It is virtually impossible to pinpoint the origin of money laundering. At heart, it's an age-old activity. In times of strife and uncertainty, people have always found ways to get around controls imposed by either their own leaders or by an invading force and spirit their assets to safety. In Canada, some of the earliest known examples date back to the 1920s and '30s. Although money laundering wasn't a crime back then, individuals from many walks of life still needed to camouflage the origins of some of their funds. That, however, didn't necessarily translate into financial sophistication