A federal grand jury in Florence, South Carolina, has indicted Nasir Ullah, 28, and Naim Ullah, 32, both from Sumter, South Carolina, and Puquan Huang, 49, from Buford, Georgia. The three are charged with conspiring to launder millions of dollars derived from drug trafficking.
"As alleged in the indictment, the defendants laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China and the Middle East, enabling a continuous flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico," said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "Dismantling transnational criminal organizations and Chinese Money Laundering Organizations that support them is a critical priority for the Department."
Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina stated the commitment to dismantling such organizations, emphasizing the $30 million money laundering operation's impact across South Carolina. "This $30 million money laundering operation, which has international ties, was conducted in multiple communities in our state," said Andrews.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) played a significant role, with its Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Division, Jae W. Chung, highlighting the operation's success. "This investigation and subsequent arrests demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking and money laundering organizations,” said Chung.
Court documents reveal the defendants allegedly operated within a money laundering organization, handling at least $30 million in drug-related proceeds. They reportedly collaborated with co-conspirators in China to obfuscate the proceeds' origins, including using electronics shipments for money movement.
If convicted, the accused face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The DEA’s Charleston, South Carolina Resident Office, alongside several law enforcement agencies, is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Mary K. Daly and Jasmin Salehi Fashami, from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett E. McMillian for the District of South Carolina, are prosecuting.
The Third and Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Offices of South Carolina have also assisted in this case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.