Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday that eight people were arrested in an operation coordinated with U.S. intelligence agencies, according to Bitcoin.com. The suspects are accused of using cryptocurrency to launder money for drug trafficking organizations. Police and military units carried out simultaneous raids in Cachicá, Maicao, Barranquilla, and Bogotá.
Authorities said alleged ringleader Guillermo Carpio Cardenas, also known as "Gallo," was among those detained. Prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico accused the group of concealing the origin of drug proceeds through a deposit network, crypto tokens, and smurfing, a method that breaks transactions into smaller amounts to avoid detection by financial intelligence systems.
A separate suspect, Nassim Orfale Vasquez, was arrested in Barranquilla and has been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Internal Revenue Service said he has handled more than $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions since 2018. Authorities are also examining whether a larger money laundering organization is operating along Colombia’s coastal region.
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday that eight people have been arrested for allegedly using cryptocurrency to launder money for drug trafficking organizations, according to Bitcoin.com. The arrests were made in coordination with U.S. intelligence agencies.
Police and military forces carried out simultaneous operations in Cachicá, Maicao, Barranquilla, and Bogotá. Authorities said Guillermo Carpio Cardenas, known by the alias "Gallo," was arrested along with seven others.
U.S. court filings outline the alleged methods
The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico accused the group of hiding the source of drug proceeds through a deposit network, crypto tokens, and smurfing, a practice that breaks transactions into smaller amounts to avoid detection by financial intelligence agencies.
Another suspect, Nassim Orfale Vasquez, was arrested in Barranquilla. He has also been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
IRS cites more than $42 million in suspicious transactions
According to the Internal Revenue Service, Vasquez has handled more than $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions since 2018. Authorities are investigating whether a larger money laundering organization may be operating in Colombia’s coastal region.
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