40 people have been charged in a complicated money laundering scheme that used cell phones to transfer drug sales earnings to one of Mexico’s most influential cartels, according to a Friday announcement from federal investigators.
According to officials, about 29 individuals have already been taken into custody, and more than half of those charged are from the Houston region.
The arrests mark the end of a 21-month investigation known as Operation Noch, said Southern District of Texas acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery.
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Lowery and other law enforcement authorities said the plan went like this: Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC)-smuggled drugs were sold, and the money raised was used to purchase cell phones at a number of retailers, including two in the Houston region. After being transferred to Mexico, the phones were sold there for exorbitant prices, with the cartel keeping the profits.
Nabeel Iqbal and Asad Wali Kesaria, the proprietors of the two Houston-based businesses, have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to launder money and money laundering. The maximum penalty for each charge is 20 years in jail.
When police established an undercover cell phone store in Houston, the plan was essentially thwarted. Daniel Comeaux, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston field office, stated that approximately $6.8 million in illicit drug revenues were gathered by undercover investigators during a nine-month period.
Comeaux stated, “They’re going to jail and they’ll pay for it. We took their money and we helped them.”
According to Lowery, $3.2 million in cash, 754 kilograms of cocaine, 588 kilograms of Alprazolam, 111 kilograms of methamphetamine, six kilograms of heroin, and four kilograms of fentanyl were seized as part of the coordinated law enforcement investigation that took place across Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and portions of Texas.
Francisco Jaramillo-Valdovinos, also known as Chico Jaramillo, is one of the defendants. According to a 2019 DEA report provided to the Louisville Courier-Journal, officials claim that he is a high-ranking commander with the JNGC whose objective has been to become the world’s largest supplier of illegal drugs. In Mexico, Jaramillo and nine other people are regarded as fugitives.
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