The Silk Road of Crime Chinese Criminal Networks around the Globe

Description

"Chinese criminal networks have built a global illicit infrastructure—and the Western Hemisphere is now a key battlespace. Economic and Legal Warfare Project hosted a fireside chat to discuss how Chinese criminal groups connect chemical suppliers, Mexican cartels, Latin American corruption, diaspora associations, digital scam syndicates, and sophisticated money-laundering pipelines that move billions across borders. The result is a converging threat: transnational organized crime fused with authoritarian influence, illicit finance, and strategic competition. We’re joined by leading experts: Hamlet Yousef — Advisor to the Irregular Warfare Initiative's Economic and Legal Warfare Project. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of IronGate Capital Advisors, a leading defense tech focused VC firm. Prior to this he has extensive experience in the Federal government serving in key roles in national security and diplomacy. Leland Lazarus — Founder & CEO, Lazarus Consulting; former U.S. Foreign Service Officer; former Special Assistant to two SOUTHCOM Commanders; leading expert on China–Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) security; author of The Silk Road of Crime testimony. Sebastian Rotella — Peabody Award–winning investigative journalist at ProPublica; global expert on transnational crime, the fentanyl trade, money laundering, and the “Flying Money” Chinese laundering model; author of major investigations into Chinese criminal networks’ role in U.S.–Mexico drug pipelines; author of four books on international organized crime (fiction and non-fiction). What we cover: How Chinese criminal networks evolved from regional players into global illicit enablers The connection between China, precursor chemicals, the cartel pipeline, and its role in the fentanyl crisis Money laundering at scale: Chinese networks, “Flying Money,” and illicit finance ecosystems The interface between criminal networks, diaspora ties, corruption, and state-linked influence Why this is an irregular warfare problem, not just a law-enforcem