Mexican national admits laundering nearly $2M in U.S. drug proceeds
by Mar Puig · UPIAug. 7 (UPI) -- A Mexican national pleaded guilty in the United States to participating in a conspiracy that collected nearly $2 million in proceeds from drug sales in different parts of the country.
He later transferred the funds to Mexico through cryptocurrency and wire transfers, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Daniel Gordiano Valenzuela, 60, admitted his participation in a money laundering conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19.
He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, although a federal judge will determine the sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other factors established by law, according to the Justice Department.
Court documents cited by authorities state that Gordiano Valenzuela, who was living in Mexico when he was arrested, acted as a financial intermediary for an organization that worked with drug traffickers to launder their proceeds in Mexico.
The Justice Department said Gordiano Valenzuela personally coordinated the laundering of $1,973,076 in proceeds from drug sales.
To do so, he used a network of associates who collected cash at different locations across the United States, according to court documents. Once the cash was received, Gordiano Valenzuela provided instructions to transfer the funds through cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
In return, he received a commission equivalent to a percentage of the money that had been successfully laundered, according to U.S. authorities.
The Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Detroit office of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Offices of the drug enforcement agency in Mexico and several U.S. cities, including Houston, Tulsa and Chicago, also participated, the Justice Department said.
The prosecution was brought as part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
The initiative brings together multiple federal agencies to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign gangs and human trafficking and smuggling networks operating inside and outside the United States, according to the Justice Department.