Just picture it: under the cover of night, police detectives raid a clandestine drug lab in Melbourne belonging to an organised crime gang. But instead of picking through just the usual: beakers, wads of cash and perhaps the unmistakable acetone odour of ICE, they stumble on something else.

Boxes upon boxes – upon BOXES – of Lego.

Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on why your kids’ favourite toy has become the underworld’s new favourite currency, and why it’s so good for laundering dirty money.

Just picture it: under the cover of night, police detectives raid a clandestine drug lab in Melbourne belonging to an organised crime gang.&nbsp;But instead of picking through just the usual: beakers, wads of cash and perhaps the unmistakable acetone odour of ICE, they stumble on something else. Boxes upon boxes &ndash; upon BOXES &ndash; of Lego. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on why your kids&rsquo; favourite toy has become the underworld&rsquo;s new favourite currency, and why it&rsquo;s so good for laundering dirty money.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

How Lego became the black market’s hottest trade

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/6e856f3b-1d64-4878-a034-b42f004134b2/transcript