w has a large some of U. S. dollars in the United States to sell to Columbian importers. Columbian importers then contact the broker to place orders for items and make payments through the broker. The broker now uses his contacts with U. S. manufacturers and distributors that he has established in the United States to purchase the items the importer has requested. These items are then paid for using a variety of methods, including the use of his U.S. bank accounts. The purchased goods are shipped to their destination, and then smuggled into Columbia. The Columbian importer receives his goods, having avoided paying high import and exchange tariffs, and pays the broker in pesos. The broker then takes his money that he has made from the cartel and the importer and starts the cycle all over again (U.S. Customs). Due to the availability of computers this day and age, a new form of money laundering has developed, called cyberlaundering. In the vast area of cyberspace, the demand for efficient consumer transactions has lead to the establishment of electronic cash (Bortner). Electronic cash or e-cash is basically a digital replacement for physical cash. It has been defined as a series of numbers that have an intrinsic value in some form of currency. By using digital cash, actual assets are transferred by digital communication. These digital transactions are structured to avoid reporting requirements or smurfs. By avoiding these reporting requirements, the laundering becomes less risky, and is impossible to trace if they have no physical form. The only things needed to do this form of laundering are: a computer, an Internet connection, and an Internet- based bank. By doing the laundering this way criminals do not have to go to a bank and have money transferred, or think of ways to disguise the money. The only thing that they have to do is to sit down at a computer and start transferring. The Federal Government has become very worried about t...
