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Colombia-US cryptocurrency money laundering investigations

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2026-10-24 18:37 UTC → 2026-10-25 00:01 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Authorities in Colombia and the United States have targeted a network involved in laundering drug cartel profits through cryptocurrency. In one specific case, Colombian broker Leonardo de Jesus Zuluaga Duque was sentenced in a US federal court to 160 months in prison for his role in a scheme that laundered approximately $14.5 million in Tether. This operation converted narcotics profits into USDT before moving funds through unlicensed exchanges and shell companies to return them to Colombian businesses as pesos. Federal prosecutors noted the broader network, led by Maximilien de Hoop Cartier—who received an eight-year prison sentence—processed a total illicit volume of approximately $470 million. In a broader crackdown, Colombian authorities coordinated with US intelligence to arrest eight individuals in raids across Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cajicá, and Maicao. Among those detained is Guillermo Carpio Cárdenas, known as ‘Gallo’, allegedly leading a group accused of using digital tokens, third-party transfers, and fractional deposits to hide trafficking funds. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico has issued extradition requests for the detainees. Another detainee, Nassim Orfale Vasquez, faces a New York indictment for allegedly processing more than $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions since 2018. In the coordinated operation known as ‘Castillo’, investigators utilized specialized techniques to dismantle the network, including the monitoring of approximately $676,838 in transactions and the controlled delivery of 87 cocaine hydrochloride packages to identify the specific roles of those involved in the trafficking and laundering scheme.

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