Overview
- CBS reporting details a previously unseen 2015 DEA memo showing a probe codenamed Chain Reaction that opened on December 17, 2010 in New York and remained marked as ongoing five years later.
- The 69-page memo describes an investigation into illegal money transfers tied to drug trafficking and/or prostitution involving activity in the U.S. Virgin Islands and New York City.
- Jeffrey Epstein is named in the document alongside 14 other individuals whose identities are fully redacted.
- Senator Ron Wyden has asked DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole to explain the extensive redactions and why no related drug or financial charges were brought, characterizing the findings as suggestive of a cross-border conspiracy.
- Separate reporting cites 2005 inventories and accounts indicating computers, recordings, photos and other materials were moved to private storage before a Palm Beach raid, raising questions about missed evidence and possible insider assistance.