Mexican cartels use sea cucumbers to bypass financial systems

Mexican drug cartels are turning to an unconventional method to facilitate illegal transactions with Chinese suppliers: sea cucumbers. The highly valued marine delicacy is now serving as a makeshift currency, allowing traffickers to bypass traditional financial systems and avoid detection.

According to Foreign Policy, dried sea cucumbers are used to settle payments, creating a complex exchange mechanism that complicates efforts to trace the flow of money. The product's high value in Asian markets makes it an attractive alternative to cash or cryptocurrency. A single kilogram of sea cucumbers can cost up to $3, enabling the transfer of significant sums in a compact form.

One notable case involved Cesar Daleo, a former US Border Patrol officer, who allegedly acted as an intermediary in this scheme. Between 2014 and 2016, Daleo organized at least 80 shipments of sea cucumbers from Mexico to the United States, with a total value exceeding $250,000. This illustrates the growing creativity of criminal networks in transferring value across borders without relying on conventional financial channels.

The use of sea cucumbers highlights the evolving strategies employed by drug cartels to evade law enforcement. Instead of traditional bank transfers or physical cash, these networks are now leveraging rare and valuable commodities to facilitate their operations.