12 CHARGED WITH MONEY LAUNDERING OF DRUG PROFITS

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Customs and IRS agents arrested 12 people
and charged them with laundering more than $10 million in illegal drug
trafficking proceeds, the Treasury Department said Thursday.

The 12, all from New York City or suburban New Jersey, were charged with
belonging to an organization working with Colombian drug traffickers
and money brokers engaged in money laundering activities in the city's
Queens area, said the Customs Service.

Two other arrests are pending in the case, authorities said. John Varrone,
Customs special agent,
said, "These violators were not that sophisticated, but were still
capable of laundering in excess of $10 million in drug proceeds." See

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id2556120000-05c

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady