Ohio Siblings Jailed for Laundering $784,000 in Cartel Drug Money via Cryptocurrency

Two Ohio siblings have been sentenced to federal prison for laundering nearly $800,000 in drug money linked to a Mexico-based cartel, highlighting the increasing use of cryptocurrency in transnational organised crime.

Christopher Grover Reynolds, 52, received a prison sentence of more than six years, while his sister, Claudette Reynolds, 51, was sentenced to two years. Both will serve three years of supervised release following their terms. The siblings were convicted for conspiring to launder the proceeds of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana sales in Toledo, Ohio, before transferring the funds to Mexico through cryptocurrency channels.

The investigation revealed that Christopher Reynolds personally collected and delivered cartel proceeds on multiple occasions, with Claudette Reynolds assisting in the cash transfers. In total, the pair laundered $784,045. During searches, authorities seized $184,415 in cash, counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine, marijuana, two firearms, and a money-counting machine, underscoring the violent and lucrative nature of cartel-linked trafficking.

Law enforcement officials stressed that the siblings’ activities directly contributed to the ongoing fentanyl and methamphetamine crisis in the Midwest. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti stated that laundering cartel proceeds perpetuates the deadly drug trade and endangers American communities. DEA Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott echoed this, noting that

every dollar laundered was done so on the backs of overdose victims and their families.

The case, prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, forms part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting cartel operations, money laundering networks, and violent crime associated with transnational organised crime.

This conviction demonstrates how US authorities are intensifying their focus on money laundering through cryptocurrency, cartel financing structures, and the local networks that enable drug trafficking. The case also highlights the close collaboration between DEA field offices across the United States and Mexico in dismantling the financial lifelines of cartel organisations.

Read the press release here.