The cost of dirty money

(Feb 11): Since the financial crisis, dozens of crackdowns have targeted money launderers who effectively rely on banks, shell companies, and other mechanisms to cover their tracks. Fines have surged into the billions of dollars, but it is unclear whether the enforcement efforts — some of the more notable ones are described here — have made much of a dent. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shady transactions continue to reach as much as US$2 trillion ($2.69 trillion) a year.