MIAMI — Nine individuals in the Southern District of Florida were charged for conspiring to launder U.S. currency into cryptocurrency on behalf of drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia and for the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business in a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami El Dorado Task Force, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO).
These recent charges are the result of a law enforcement operation that uncovered a network of black-market cryptocurrency launderers and unlicensed money transmitters. The same investigation has resulted in the conviction of three individuals and charges against an additional three individuals.
The nine defendants and their co-conspirators worked together to pick up bulk cash, derived from drug sales in various cities throughout the United States. They would then coordinate to exchange the cash for cryptocurrency that was sent to wallets controlled by the defendants or their co-conspirators. The cryptocurrency would then be converted into cash and delivered to cartel leaders in Mexico and Colombia.
As alleged in court documents, Nilson Sneyder Vasquez Duarte aka Sobri aka Sobrino,34, and co-conspirators coordinated the delivery of cash and cryptocurrency to black market cryptocurrency exchangers, including to Hernan Horacio Richard Samper, 59, Maria Eugenia Landeros Rosas, aka Yeni, 52, Raimundo Carlos Rodriguez Huter, 40, Mayccol Hejeile Morales, 36, and Hernan Julian Calvo Bueno, 34, Sergio Fernando Vargas Alvarez, 37, Juan Carlos Riano Muentes, 36, Jesus Ivan Rincon Martinez, 45, Morales, and Calvo Bueno also acted as couriers, physically transporting the cash between U.S. cities.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI Miami, Acting Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Hipkins of the IRS CI, Miami Field Office, and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the BSO made the announcement.
Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Schwartz and Jeffrey Kaplan prosecuted prior related cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge R. Delgado is handling asset forfeiture.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov,
Members of the public with information about criminal activity in your community are encouraged to contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
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