A newly uncovered DEAdocumentfrom the DOJ's Jeffrey Epstein files release reveals thatEpstein was the subject of a secret, 5-year investigationby the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on suspicions oflaundering approximately $50 millionthrough a web of illicit drug and prostitution networks -yet federal prosecutorspursuing his 2019 trafficking case hadno idea.

The DEA investigation, code-named "Chain Reaction," was launched by the DEA's New York office on December 17, 2010, and targette4d Epstein (listed as "Target 4") - as well as14 other individualswhose names have been redacted. Chain Reaction focused on"illegitimate wire transfers"suspected of funding "illicit drug and/or prostitution activities" in New York City and the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned his notorious Little St. James island.

Drawing from a multi-agency dragnet - including the DEA, FBI, ICE, CBP, FinCEN, and others - the memo compiles biographical data, border crossings, criminal histories, and financial red flags. It revealsroughly $50 million in suspicious transactions from 2010 to 2015, routed through accounts in Switzerland, France, the Cayman Islands, and New York. Epstein himself was flagged in seven Unified Suspicious Activity Reports (USARs) totaling $5.67 million, eight Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) amounting to $233,397, and three Unified Currency Transaction Reports (UCTRs) for $102,648 - some conducted on his behalf by associates.

The memo also reveals overlapping investigations, including an ICE case in West Palm Beach (2006–2008), a Las Vegas ICE probe (opened 2009, pending in 2010), a Paris-based ICE "Operation Angel Watch" (2013), and an FBI case from 2006 still active in 2015.

The redacted targets include individuals with ties to prostitution (e.g., a Polish fashion model linked to $2 million in transfers) and businesses likeSLK Designs LLC(a fashion entity run by Epstein associates) andHyperion Air Inc. (his aircraft holding company). Epstein's border crossings (e.g., frequent flights between JFK and Paris's Charles de Gaulle in 2014) and communications (phones, emails) were tracked.

The memo expands Epstein's crimes beyond sex trafficking, suggesting a syndicate blending prostitution with potential narco-finance. Redacted associates handled transactions "on behalf" of Epstein, and businesses like SLK Designs appear tied to UCTRs involving negotiable instruments. Little St. James - Epstein's "Pedophile Island" - is fingered as a hub, aligning with survivor accounts of exploitation.

Epstein repeatedly held himself out to people as a representative to the Swiss-based Edmond de Rothschild Group, led by Ariane de Rothschild at the time. Emailsrevealthat Ariane met with him dozens of times between 2013 and 2019, stayed at his properties, sought his advice on family feuds (e.g., with cousin David de Rothschild over branding), and listened to geopolitical advicesuch as how to profit from the 2014 Ukraine coup. For his services,the Rothschildspaid him$25 millionin two payments roughly one month apart in October and November of 2015.Epstein introduced her to lawyers like Obama White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, and pursued funding for Israeli cyber firms (e.g., via Ehud Barak). Last week, former Victoria's Secret boss Les Wexner testified under oath thathe only trusted Epstein due to his work for the Rothschilds in France.

And what happened in December of 2015, after the Rothschilds wired Epstein $25 million?The bank reached a non-prosecution agreement with the Obama DOJ on December 18, 2015 amid a DOJ investigation under the "Swiss Bank Program," which targeted banks for aiding U.S. tax evasion through undeclared accounts.The bank ended up paying a$45.2 million penalty(including fines and forfeitures) as part of a non-prosecutionagreement.

Behind the scenes, the group’s French chief, Ariane de Rothschild, had tasked Jeffrey Epstein and the lawyer he had introduced her to, Kathy Ruemmler, with closing the deal.

“45 mio [million]?” de Rothschild asked Epstein in a December 2015 email exchange. He replied that, counting a $10mn fee for the lawyers involved and $25mn for him, “I think you will find that . . . all less than 80 pretty good”. “Deep thks for your amazing help,” de Rothschild answered. -FT

Source: ZeroHedge News