Federal grand jury indictments unsealed in San Diego have accused five individuals of money laundering on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez, Israel Daniel Paez Vargas, Salvador Diaz Rodriguez, Christopher Ortega-Lomeli, and Christian Noe Amador Valenzuela face multiple charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. These indictments, which were returned in September and October 2022, included charges that have yet to be adjudicated and all individuals remain at large.
These investigations, targeting the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations, have led to 51 defendants being charged, and the seizure of more than $4.1 million, along with significant quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned four of the current defendants and Enrique Dann Esparragoza Rosas who was already charged, identifying them as part of a network facilitating the cartel’s money laundering activities.
The Sinaloa Cartel, which has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, is recognized for smuggling large quantities of dangerous drugs into the United States, exploiting ports of entry along the southern border. Further details and information about these charges are available on the Department of Treasury's website.
Several agencies are involved in investigating these cases: the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Imperial Country District Office, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation San Diego Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Diego Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations’ Calexico Office, and the San Diego-Imperial County HIDTA, with help from the OFAC.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton, Joshua Mellor, Victor White, and Paul Benjamin are prosecuting these cases. Substantial assistance was provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Roth.
Operation Take Back America, which aims to eliminate illegal immigration and dismantle transnational criminal organizations, includes these cases in its initiatives. The OCDETF operation to which these cases belong uses a coordinated, multi-agency approach to target and dismantle the highest-level criminal threats to the United States. More information about the OCDETF Program is available through the Department of Justice.
The HIDTA program, created by Congress, supports coordination among law enforcement agencies in critical drug-trafficking areas across the United States. This program is managed by the Executive Office of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The charged individuals include:
- Israel Daniel Paez Vargas: faces charges for conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances and to launder monetary instruments, with penalties ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment and heavy fines.
- Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez, Salvador Diaz Rodriguez, Christian Noe Amador Valenzuela, and Christopher Ortega-Lomeli: charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, facing up to 20 years in prison and substantial fines.
Enrique Dann Esparragoza Rosas is charged under a separate case united with a conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and Hobbs Act Extortion, carrying similar penalties.
These allegations underline ongoing efforts to disrupt the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel and similar organized crime groups, reinforcing the resolve of federal agencies to tackle drug trafficking and associated money laundering activities.