Mexican Nationals Jailed for Roles in Sophisticated Black Market Peso Money Laundering Scheme

Two Mexican nationals have each been sentenced to 55 months in prison for their roles in an elaborate trade-based money laundering scheme designed to transfer drug trafficking proceeds from the United States to Mexico. The sentencing, delivered by US District Judge Keith P Ellison, marks a significant victory in the fight against transnational organised crime and cartel financing.

According to court documents, Mauricio Anzures-Zarate, 53, from Mexico City, and Beatriz Salcedo-Carreon, 63, from Guadalajara, took part in a multimillion-dollar conspiracy spanning two years. The pair were part of an international network that used trade-based money laundering techniques to disguise illicit drug proceeds as legitimate commercial transactions, enabling Mexican cartels to repatriate their profits without physically moving cash across the border.

In this case, drug proceeds collected from various US cities were delivered to Laredo, Texas. There, local businesses were instructed to accept the illicit cash as payment for goods intended for export to Mexico. Mexican businesses receiving the goods then transferred pesos to cartel-affiliated accounts in Mexico. This trade-based structure allowed cartels to launder significant sums while concealing the illicit origins of the funds.

Speaking after the sentencing, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said:

The defendants used an elaborate, trade-based money laundering scheme to exploit our financial system and transfer the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking from the United States to Mexico. These financial facilitators actively promoted cartel operations in cities across the United States, enabling the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities.

US Attorney Nicholas J Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas added:

The lifeblood of any drug trafficking organisation is the uninterrupted flow of cash. Here, defendants laundered drug proceeds through a sophisticated trade-based scheme, putting money in the pockets of the cartels and endangering lives on both sides of the border.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell highlighted the significance of the operation:

Despite the sophisticated tactics used to conceal profits made from smuggling poison into our country by the Mexican cartels, our expertise enabled us to dismantle their thriving operations.

The investigation also involved extensive international cooperation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement agencies in Mexico to secure the arrest and April 2024 extradition of Salcedo-Carreon, underlining the cross-border efforts necessary to dismantle cartel-linked financial networks.

In addition to the prison sentences, Anzures-Zarate was ordered to pay a money judgement of 1,176,165 US dollars, while Salcedo-Carreon must pay 887,269 US dollars. Eight other defendants have previously been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the same conspiracy.

This case underscores the critical role of financial facilitators in sustaining cartel operations and the effectiveness of coordinated law enforcement action in targeting trade-based money laundering schemes. The successful prosecution reflects an ongoing commitment to disrupting illicit financial networks that fuel the deadly trade in narcotics.

Read the press release here.