"Socalj" for Borderland Beat
Five men accused of laundering money on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel were charged in a pair of grand jury indictments unsealed Monday in San Diego federal court.
The indictments were originally returned in 2022 against the defendants, all of whom remain at large and face drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Four of the five defendants were also sanctioned for their alleged roles in supporting the Sinaloa Cartel's drug trafficking activities, particularly Los Chapitos faction.
One of the men, Salvador Diaz Rodriguez, was described by OFAC as a Mexicali-based enforcer who collected "taxes" on behalf of "a local criminal organization" and was "known to kill those who do not pay the required amount."
Diaz and co-defendant Israel Daniel Paez Vargas allegedly laundered money for the cartel, while Vargas additionally recruited people to work for co-defendant Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez, OFAC says.
Benguiat's organization has allegedly laundered more than $50 million on behalf of the cartel and Jose Angel Rivera Zazueta, who OFAC describes as a fentanyl trafficker whose organization imports precursor chemicals from China to Mexico in order to manufacture fentanyl, MDMA, crystal methamphetamine and ketamine.
To date, these money laundering investigations have resulted in charges against 51 defendants and the seizure of more than $4.1 million dollars and approximately 1,304 kilograms of methamphetamine, 34 kilograms of heroin, 11 kilograms of cocaine, and 14 kilograms of fentanyl.
Enrique Dann Esparragoza Rosas was also sanctioned and identified as the operator of a money laundering organization with clients including "Los Chapitos" and the faction led by El Mayo Zambada. Since April 2023, his group had laundered $16.5 million for clients of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Treasury Department said.
Alberto David Benguiat and others have been sanctioned and charged with operating a money laundering network that has laundered more than $50 million. Christian Noe Amador and Christopher Ortega Lomelí are Benguiat collaborators operating in Baja California.
Benguiat operates a network of front companies located in Mexico City (CDMX) and the State of Mexico (Edomex), through which he conceals the origin of the illicit funds he moves from the United States.
The sanctioned companies tied to Benguiat include:
Unter Empresarial Group
Vindende Group
Zipfel Group of Mexico
Productions Pipo
United People Hoas
Scatman & Hatman Corp
Wrecked Green Lamborghini
On December 4, 2020. Alberto David Benguiat Jiménez's fluorescent green Lamborghini was traveling through the residential streets of the Polanco neighborhood, Miguel Hidalgo borough, at over 100 mph when he plowed into a parked white car.
Footage of the crash, leaked to the press, showed Benguiat and his female passenger were immediately rescued from the wrecked car, assisted by his bodyguards. Several documents were taken out of the car and then the pair got into a black Range Rover. The Lamborghini remained.
Local reports claimed the driver was a lawyer named David Cohen.
Authorities found an invoice in the name of Julio César Licea López in the car. César Licea claimed that he had lent the vehicle to his driver that night. Raúl Roldan Navarro went on his own to the facilities of the Attorney General's Office to claim he was driving the car that night and was charged in the accident.
Journalist Carlos Jiménez, who unraveled the story, revealed a month later that Julio César Licea López was merely a front man for Alberto David Benguiat Jiménez, who was identified as the sole owner of the car.
Sources US Treasury, US Treasury, DOJ, Infobae, Infobae, Carlos Jiménez
Categories: baja california, lamborghini, Los Chapitos, mexicali, Money Laundering, OFAC Sanctions