In my opinion, BTC is not a traditional currency like gold and silver because it does not have any use value, so it is not a credit currency. It's basically just one use, money laundering tool. The tool explains why bitcoin prices are spread across the country and abroad. Domestic money is changed into bitcoins and then physical transportation to overseas exchange for foreign currency escapes regulation and the cost of money laundering is lower than before, and the risk is low.
There are so many money laundering tools around and Bitcoin is just one them, and surely it's not the best one. Most big exchanges require KYC and those who don't are probably run by cops. So in reality you can't buy big amounts of BTC with your dirty money in order to launder them without big risk. It is much safer to open a legitimate business like it is shown in Breaking Bad, for instance, and launder you dirty money through it.