In Buford, Georgia, two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization, Li Pei Tan and Chaojie Chen, were arrested for laundering millions in drug proceeds for Mexican cartels, including Sinaloa and CJNG.
Due to their alleged involvement in a scheme to launder millions of dollars in illicit drug proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels (commonly referred to as CJNG), two alleged members of a transnational money laundering organization were placed under arrest.
Today saw the arrest of Buford, Georgia resident Li Pei Tan, 46. On April 18, Chaojie Chen, 41, a foreign national living in Chicago, was taken into custody.
Tan and Chen are accused of working for a money-laundering business that reportedly laundered millions of dollars worth of revenues from the illicit drug trade, which mostly came from Mexico and illegal drug distribution. This information is stated in court documents. Tan, Chen, and their accomplices reportedly went throughout the United States to get (or cause to be obtained) earnings from the trafficking of fentanyl and other substances. They allegedly coordinated and exchanged messages with other foreign conspirators in China to arrange the financial transactions that were intended to hide the criminal origins of the drug proceeds, thereby laundering the funds.
The National Drug Threat Assessment published by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are primarily responsible for the fentanyl epidemic in the United States.
Tan and Chen are accused of plotting to launder money in two different criminal cases. They each risk a potential sentence of 20 years in jail if found guilty.
The statement was made by DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, who oversees the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
With support from the DEA’s offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as the Office of Special Intelligence’s Document and Media Exploitation Unit, the Special Operations Division’s Bilateral Investigations Unit is looking into the matter.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern Districts of Georgia and Illinois are providing support.
This initiative is a component of an operation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF employs a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency strategy to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most powerful criminal organizations posing a threat to the United States. Visit www.justice.gov/OCDETF for more details about the OCDETF Program.
Last year, GreatGameIndia reported that Dubai has long been a haven for some of the most notorious drug lords in Europe and has a history of protecting European criminals, particularly those involved in the cocaine trade.
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