Forensic studies have consistently shown that approximately ninety percent of all paper currency circulating in the United States contains easily traceable amounts of cocaine.

A closer look

Forensic studies have consistently shown that approximately ninety percent of all paper currency circulating in the United States contains easily traceable amounts of cocaine. Because paper money is composed of a durable cotton and linen blend, the fibers act like a sponge for fine powders, and the drugs are easily transferred from contaminated bills to clean ones when they are processed through automated counting machines at local banks. This remarkable statistic highlights the massive, invisible shadow economy of the illicit drug trade operating parallel to standard retail banking. It is incredibly comforting to realize that every time you pull a crisp twenty-dollar bill out of an ATM to buy organic groceries or pay for a wholesome family outing, you are unwittingly handling a microscopic souvenir from a cartel drug deal that probably took place in a nightclub bathroom