Narco Finance

July 2012. HSBC, the leading British bank, was accused by a US Senate probe of laundering money for Mexican cartels. Despite several warnings, the Mexican subsidiary of the London giant apparently transferred 7 billion dollars to its American branch between 2007 and 2008. According to a former director, the large European financial institution was implicated in more than half of the laundering operations between the two countries.

To date, however, no one has received a criminal sentence under anti-laundering laws and none of the culprits has been banned from operating.

How can governments, notably Mexico, fight drug trafficking and money laundering without endangering the spheres of finance and economy? Today, many financial establishments are involved with laundering drug money, and white-collar accomplices of Mexican cartels may have even infiltrated certain board of directors.

Our investigation will deliberately avoid images of trafficking, highlighting instead the economic and financial dynamics. The documentary will focus on investments, the means of exploitation and the goals.

Using three case-studies demonstrating the involvement of major financial institutions (HSBC, Wachovia, Lebanese Canadian Bank), which lead all the way to Hezbollah slush funds, this international investigation will demonstrate the increasing infiltration of drug money into legal channels.