How and why criminals launder money through restaurants and bars

Years ago, a friend who had been a quite senior accountant for years said in the course of conversation over supper that when bars and restaurants begin popping up all over the place, it’s not necessarily a good sign. “They’re one of the best ways to launder drug money and other illicit income,” he said. I suppose the same can be said for the strip-joints and lap-dancing operations (known ridiculously as ‘gentlemen’s clubs’) which didn’t exist back then. His explanation was more or less what you will find in this piece here.