Marco Rubio : Rubio Statement on Stopping the Use of Dirty Gold from Latin America in Money Laundering

Washington, D.C.-U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement today on the Miami Herald's expose on how drug dealers and other malign actors are increasingly using Latin American gold that ends up in the U.S. consumer market to launder their dirty money:

'Trade in gold from Latin America, which is largely destined for U.S. consumers, is becoming the preferred way for drug cartels, terrorists and bad regimes to launder their dirty money. The U.S. Department of Justice's prosecution of illicit gold traders Juan Granda, Samer Barrage and Renato Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to money laundering involving dirty Latin American gold, is the tip of the iceberg, and should put all bad actors on notice. I will continue to follow this issue closely, and urge the Executive Branch to investigate the practices and circumstances leading to the mining and transportation of these precious metals for the purposes of money laundering.'