BMUN LXIX UNODC

 Hi everyone,  Hope research is going well! We are less than 2 weeks out from the conference, and so I hope you are excited and feeling ready!  This blog post is more for explaining the procedure that we will be using for this conference. UNODC this year will be run under the THIMUN Procedure. The guide can be found here . This guide was prepared by BMUN alumnus Suma Thati, so all credit goes to her!  Please read through the guide, and post any questions that you may have, either in the comments or by emailing us at unodcbmunlxix@bmun.org.  I will be posting some clarifications on the more difficult parts of the guide here, so keep visiting this blog. The VC's are also posting some great articles that can complement your research, so do make sure to read them!  See you all soon! 

In the past few months, two top members of the Sam Gor drug syndicate (known as "The Company") have been arrested around the world. The AFP estimates that "The Company" traffics cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and heroin all across Southeast Asia. In 2018, the UNODC predicted the drug syndicate made over $17 billion from trafficking methamphetamines.  The AFP is the head agency of the Operation Kungur taskforce which aims to bring down the drug  syndicate . In  October 2020,  Lee Chung Chak, a senior member of the drug syndicate, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).  In  January, AFP made tremend ous progress by arresting  Tse Chi Lop, the suspected leader of Sam Gor. Many officials  compare Tse to Latin America's Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. These are significant arrests for the AFP as it is very " rare for suspected senior drug traffickers to be arrested and successfully prosecuted in...

One of the biggest money laundering schemes of all time, often referred to as the Russian Laundromat, involved moving more than $20 billion from shell companies in Russia to at least 732 banks in 96 countries between 2010 and 2014. These untraceable shell companies often received money from Russian corporations through fraud, rigging of contracts, and customs and tax evasion [1]. For instance, claims for false loans would lead Russian companies to transfer real money to the Moldovan bank Moldindconbank, which would then send money to Trasta Komercbanka in Latvia to distribute or conceal the large transactions. The money laundered was used on anything from private school tuition fees to diamonds and designer chandeliers to organizations supporting specific political agendas [2].  Records from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that nearly $13 billion was sent to Trasta Komercbanka (Latvia), $738.1 million was sent to bank accounts in the UK, and ov...

  Earlier this year, Germany’s Deutsche Bank paid $130 million to settle allegations of bribery through the use of “consultants,” or middlemen, to gain advantages in business. These consultants allowed Deutsche Bank to strike deals with other banks around the world (such as those in Saudi Arabia, China, and Italy), opening up the possibility of funneling illicit cash to governments and corporate officials [1]. To cover up their tracks, the bank falsified records, concealed bribes from clients, and hid payments in nearby countries. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) conducted investigations on Deutsche Bank, which later led to the allegations and prosecution by the U.S. government [1].  A Deutsche Bank spokesman noted that the “thorough internal investigations, and full cooperation with the DOJ and SEC investigations” reflect the bank’s “transparency and determination to put these matters firmly in the past” [2].  However, thi...

  Hi delegates! Welcome to the UNODC committee blog! My name is Ruchirangad Sharma, and I will be your head chair for UNODC at BMUN 69! I'm accompanied by three incredible vice chairs: Dylan, Cassidy, and Karissa. We are so incredibly excited to meet all of you in March! A little bit about myself -  I  am currently a senior here at UC Berkeley studying Economics and Data Science. I love the course material and am really interested in this field mostly because of the huge part it plays in day to day life. When I am not swamped with work, I like to blow off steam by playing cricket with some of my friends or even just watching it! Apart from that, I also love to watch TV shows, with some of my favorites being Sherlock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Chuck. Now, just a little bit about our committee. As you already know, our two topics this year are Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, and Illicit Substance manufacture and trade. Both of these topics are extremely relevant to ...

  Hearing all about Bitcoin? Confused about how it relates to our topic on money laundering? Here's a case study that you should look into!  Hugo Mejia pleaded guilty to (1) operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and (2) money laundering. Mejia operated a digital currency business that exchanged $13 million in cryptocurrency for cash, taking commissions for transactions conducted on his platform. During the 28-month period that he conducted his digital currency business, Mejia established other companies to hide his illegal activities, also known as shell companies.  Why is this case study important?  It happened THIS year! January 29, 2021 to be exact. It highlights how a lack of regulation about cryptocurrency can become problematic in terms of not only prosecutorial actions, but also monitoring.  This is not an isolated case. In fact, three weeks ago, the owner of RG Coins in Bulgaria was sentenced for conspiracy to commit a Racketeer Influenced...