Mexico's Congress on Thursday approved a long-awaited law to crack down on money laundering in a bid to attack the finances of the country's powerful drug cartels. The law, proposed two years ago by President Felipe Calderon as part of his offensive against drug gangs, was passed by the Senate on Thursday. The lower house passed it earlier this year. The new federal law puts restrictions on cash purchases of real estate, jewelry, armored cars and other assets that criminals use to launder illicit funds. Companies will be required to report large cash purchases under the law. "There is an outcry from society to weaken the financial structures of organized crime, and that is what this law is about," said Senator Roberto Gil, a member of Calderon's conservative National Action Party. Nearly 60,000 people have been killed since Calderon launched a military-led assault against drug cartels after taking office in late 2006. Dozens of drug lords have been killed or captured since
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