WASHINGTON, Feb 5, 2026, 14:08 EST
- U.S. prosecutors have turned their sights on cartel money brokers amid a shift of laundering activity into cryptocurrency.
- Four defendants, brought over from Mexico, now face money-laundering conspiracy charges in a federal Kentucky court.
- Officials say the strategy targets cartel cash flows, aiming to squeeze funding and boost cooperation higher up the chain.
The U.S. Justice Department is intensifying its crackdown on Mexican cartels by going after money brokers accused of funneling drug profits through cryptocurrency, officials said. This comes after four defendants extradited from Mexico were charged in federal court in Kentucky. (AP News)
The push matters now because authorities report cartels are shifting tactics as law enforcement clamps down on more obvious drug corridors. Cryptocurrency, a digital token traded online, is reportedly being used more often to transfer profits from U.S. cities straight to cartel bosses in Mexico, prosecutors say.
The Justice Department is focusing on brokers rather than street-level dealers to choke off a key link in the operation. During President Donald Trump’s second term, it also stepped up efforts by pairing narcotics prosecutors with anti-money laundering experts, targeting the flow of illegal cash.
“If you cut off the money, you hurt the cartels,” said A. Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general in charge of the Criminal Division. Prosecutors are working to trace the flow of funds, especially the point where cash gets converted into cryptocurrency and then traded.
The defendants — Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon, Eliomar Segura Torres, Manuel Ignacio Correa, and Cesar Linares-Orozco — are charged with conspiracy to launder money, according to court documents. Prosecutors allege the brokers coordinate cash pickups across U.S. cities and earn commissions when funds flow back to cartels, occasionally involving digital assets. Linares-Orozco’s lawyer declined to comment, while no attorneys were listed for the other defendants in the filings.
On Jan. 22, the Justice Department revealed that Velasco Calderon and Segura Torres were involved in money-laundering networks moving large cash drug profits from the U.S. to Mexico via cryptocurrency. According to the department, both received commissions and could face up to 20 years behind bars. (Department of Justice)
Since Trump’s second term began, Mexico has handed over more than 90 top cartel-linked suspects in three separate transfers, U.S. and Mexican sources say. David Mora, a Mexico expert at the International Crisis Group, noted, “As the pressure increases … Mexico’s government needs to resort to extraordinary measures, such as these transfers.” (AP News)
The handovers have sparked a legal battle in Mexico, with lawyers and relatives accusing the government of sending detainees north without following standard extradition procedures. “Mexico is currently under intense pressure from the United States,” said defense lawyer Yarey Sánchez Lagunas, who questioned whether the transfers aimed to deliver quick political wins. Meanwhile, former DEA official Mike Vigil applauded the “fast-tracking” of a process that can drag on for years. (AP News)
Cutting off the money flow proves tougher than simply seizing cash. Crypto transfers can jump swiftly between wallets and across borders, and prosecutors still require either cooperation or solid evidence linking brokers directly to cartel leaders—not just to the transactions themselves.
Officials point to groups like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, saying they depend on these financial middlemen to keep drug money flowing despite law enforcement cracking down on trafficking routes. Prosecutors describe these brokers as the silent engines driving the violence.
Duva said the goal of bringing defendants to the United States goes beyond just sending a warning. He added that cooperation can help investigators target higher-level cartel leaders and develop new cases.
