MIAMI – Authorities said 22 people have been charged in an international money laundering case that funneled cash to drug trafficking cartels through Miami-based businesses.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Thursday that the case is a joint investigation with federal Homeland Security Department officials. Authorities said the undercover "Operation Neymar" involved about $1 million a month in drug money from throughout North America.
Only five of the 22 suspects are in custody -- one in Colombia, one in Boston and three in Miami-Dade County.
Click here to read full arrest warrant.
"Money laundering is one of the most crucial parts of any successful drug-trafficking operation, so I feel very privileged and proud to be standing here today with this great team of lawyers and law enforcement officers and agents," Rundle said.
The charges are mostly against illicit money couriers allegedly working for Colombian and Mexican cartels, including El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel, trying to get U.S. drug-profit dollars converted into pesos they can use.
"These transactions were done on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and the successors of the Cali Cartel out of Colombia," Rundle said. "The drug trafficking organizations in question were operating throughout the United States, but they used Miami's strong international economy as the actual funnel for all of their money laundering operations."
The Cali Cartel was founded by brothers Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, and Jose Santacruz Londoño, known as "Chepe," who broke away from notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel associates in the 1980s.
No business owners were charged, but Rundle said they should be on notice when handling suspicious transactions.
The Miami-area businesses are mostly involved in the South American electronics export trade.
One of the suspects arrested, Alejandro Leon Vega appeared in a Miami-Dade County courtroom Thursday morning and was ordered to be held in jail in lieu of a $1,027,500 bond.
Authorities seized about $1 million in cash during the investigation.
Below is a list of the suspects charged in the case:
- Ivan Andres Lizarazo Mendoza
- Pedro Carrasco
- Hinestroza Gonzalez
- Diego Perdomo
- Jesus Valencia
- Jose Angel Cortez Raquez
- Alonso Rivera Valenzuela
- Javier Castro Leyva
- Roberto Lopez Morales
- Duvan Bolanos Mora
- Fabio Moreno
- Edi Acosta Gamez
- Sidia Milady Lizarazo Mendoza
- Alejandro Leon Vega
- Ambioris Acosta de la Cruz
- Francisco Haro Rodriguez
- Giscard Yohsiati Pena Pena
- Pedro Hernandez
The suspects' charges include racketeering, RICO conspiracy, money laundering, conspiracy to launder $100,000 or more and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
