Mike Battisti is a Detective with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department where he has been employed since 2013. In 2020, Mike was assigned to the Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement (IRNET), a multi-agency Los Angeles HIDTA task force which investigates major level drug trafficking organizations in the Southern California area. Mike is cross sworn as a Task Force Officer with DEA, FBI, and US Marshalls. Mike, and his co-instructor Nick Collas, are actively working an HSTF (formerly OCDETF) case, Operation Cryp Wok, investigating a Chinese money laundering organization affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, which has led to seizures of over $20 million in cryptocurrency. Mike first delved into cryptocurrency investigations as a state wiretap affiant in 2021 and has continued his endeavors since. He has received a certification from the Western Regional Counter Drug Training Center in cryptocurrency analysis and blockchain fundamentals for narcotics, as well as certifications through Chainalysis Academy on crypto fundamentals. Although, Mike attributes the bulk of his expertise to an accumulation of countless hours of practical experience in blockchain analysis, networking with other cryptocurrency investigators, and case work with confidential informants associated with the use of cryptocurrency in drug trafficking and money laundering crimes.