A new report released by the International Assessment and Strategy Center (IASC) highlights the role of specialized intermediaries, many of whom have connections to several illicit groups at once, in facilitating transnational crime.

The Venezuelan government has accused opposition leaders of ties to drug trafficking, but, as with the latest claims about elements of the government itself being involved in the drug trade, it is difficult to separate self-interest from the tangled reality of the country's criminal networks.

Mexican authorities say that, since 2008, criminal gangs have robbed so many trucks carrying gold shipments that some mining companies have been forced to switch to aerial transportation. This highlights the convenience of gold as a means to launder dirty cash.

Mexico’s Ministry of Finance says organized crime may have laundered up to $10 billion last year, much of it profits from drug trafficking. But understanding the size of the problem also means recognizing the inherent difficulties in fighting money laundering.

A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official says Mexico's next head of state should escalate President Felipe Calderon's fight against organized crime, but he addresses none of the justifiable sources of criticism of Calderon's approach.

In Guatemala, dirty money leaves the country in tourist class, in the luggage of hundreds of men and women recruited by criminal organizations that export bills of illegal origin. The Public Ministry has identified five networks that move hundreds of thousands, or millions, of dollars.

Police in Guatemala have arrested a man attempting to leave the country with nearly $50,000 concealed in his stomach, a tactic that officials say is becoming an increasingly popular way to transport illicit funds.

Argentina was listed as a country of "primary concern" for money laundering in the latest State Department report, which calls on the country to "urgently address" deficiencies in its handling of the crime.

Jamaica has frozen more than $8 million in assets, some belonging to alleged drug traffickers, as the country rolls out legislation to target illicitly obtained funds and money laundering.

Cuba and Bolivia have been mentioned on the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) list of countries with "strategic deficiencies" in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.