Dirty Money describes the origin of financial investigations of narcotics traffickers through four landmark prosecutions in Los Angeles. The House that Heroin Built tells of how a major heroin dealer's purchases of luxury items, including a San Marino mansion and several expensive cars, were used to prove he was the leader of a national organization and obtain a life without parole sentence. The Hunt for the Architect details how a small bank's reports of currency deposits helped identify and bring to justice an organization which derived more than $32,000,000 from heroin and cocaine. A Very, Very Honest Lawyer concerns the detection and investigation of a sophisticated money laundering service for narcotics traffickers run by a Beverly Hills attorney. The Grandma Mafia relates how a courageous banker helped uncover a multi-million dollar money laundering and cocaine trafficking operation run by middle-aged grandmothers. The recounting of these significant cases is told by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Perry, who supervised the investigations and represented the government at trial.

Today, financial investigations are a major weapon in the federal government's continuing fight against narcotics. This important investigative technique originated in the cases described in this book.