Mexican national pleads guilty to laundering $4 million in drug money via cryptocurrency

Carlos Erick Vázquez González, a 48-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Vázquez González participated in an operation that laundered approximately $4 million in drug trafficking proceeds using cryptocurrency.

Working with intermediaries who collected drug profits across various U.S. cities, Vázquez González received the funds to obscure their origin. He allowed the money to be deposited into a cryptocurrency wallet under his control, moving the digital assets rapidly to hinder tracking. Once the funds reached Mexico, he allegedly sold the cryptocurrency for U.S. dollars and delivered the cash to intermediaries.

For his role in the scheme, Vázquez González reportedly earned a commission of approximately $40,000. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 17, 2026.