<p>Some enterprising crooks in Germany figured out an ingenious way to launder money from their drug smuggling operation.</p>
<p>They turned it into real money.</p>
<p>According to German law enforcement officials, a gang used drug money to purchase scrap gold jewelry from jewelers involved in the case. They proceeded to melt down the jewelry and process it into bars that were subsequently smuggled into Turkey using aircraft and specially modified vehicles.</p>
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<p>Police say the criminal syndicate smuggled four tonnes of gold valued at €210 million ($235.5 million) over a six-year period.</p>
<p>Authorities say the gold was processed further in Turkey and sold, or used to buy high-end jewelry that was brought back to Germany and sold by participating jewelers.</p>
<p>The gang allegedly offered money laundering services to third parties in what <em>Der Welt</em> called a “crime-as-a-service” model.</p>
<p>It’s a brilliant money laundering scheme if you think about it. Gold is easy to transport and hard to trace. More significantly, gold will be in demand no matter where it ends up. Not everyone wants a stack of euros, but virtually everybody in the world recognizes gold's inherent value. It’s money that’s “good anywhere.”</p>
<p>Another benefit our intrepid criminals probably didn’t consider is that gold will preserve the value of their ill-gotten gains. If they keep their profits in euros, they will undoubtedly lose value over time as the EU inflates the currency. Gold will hedge against <a href="https://youtu.be/lmvFyBBJORM?si=2foGei55V-F386Lv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this inflationary process</a>.</p>
<p>The scheme unraveled after police discovered 55 kilos of gold and nearly €500,000 in a vehicle during a traffic stop on the A3 Motorway in southern Bavaria. This led investigators to a gang made up primarily of Turkish men.</p>
<p>German authorities arrested three men and recovered 800 grams of melted gold. They also seized 12 vehicles with specially modified smuggling compartments.</p>
<p>Officials say 450 police and customs officers participated in the investigation. They searched about 40 homes and businesses, primarily belonging to jewelers. searched approximately 40 residential and business premises, primarily belonging to jewelers.</p>
