Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Field Division (DEA), and Thomas E. Bishop, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Division (IRS), announced today the unsealing of an indictment in Brooklyn federal court charging three alleged leaders of an international money laundering organization for their role in brokering a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the source of illegal narcotics trafficking. The defendants allegedly used the Chinese and Hong Kong financial system and the shipment of counterfeit goods around the world to launder over $5 billion for drug cartels based in Mexico and Colombia.
“As alleged, the defendants and their co-conspirators laundered billions of dollars in illegal narcotics proceeds on behalf of several of the largest drug cartels in the world. The organization used a variety of methods to conceal the source of the drug proceeds in an operation that stretched around the globe,” stated Acting United States Attorney Currie. Mr. Currie thanked the Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs; DEA Dallas Field Office; New York City Police Department; New York State Police; DEA Beijing Country Office; DEA Hong Kong Country Office; IRS Beijing Country Office; IRS Hong Kong Country Office; the Financial Investigations Group of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department; and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.