Anatomy of a sweet smelling cartel money laundering front

Earlier this year, Grits argued in a post both lauded and criticized that money laundering of drug profits artificially boosted Texas' economy by propping up seemingly legitimate front businesses, contributing to the so-called Texas economic "miracle." The Texas Tribune's Julian Aguilar has an excellent feature describing one such company - a Laredo-based perfumeria, of all things - exemplifying that dynamic.

Photo by the Texas Tribune's Jennifer Whitney