Colombian and U.S. authorities have arrested eight people in an investigation into alleged laundering of cartel drug proceeds through cryptocurrency-linked networks. The operation took place across Cajicá, Maicao, Barranquilla and Bogotá, according to the reported case details.
Among those detained were Guillermo Carpio Cárdenas, known as “Gallo,” and Nassim Orfale Vasquez. U.S. authorities allege the wider structure used deposit networks, cryptocurrency tokens and smurfing tactics to move and conceal illicit funds while reducing the chance of detection by financial monitoring systems.
Arrests across four Colombian locations
The joint action resulted in eight arrests in multiple cities and municipalities in Colombia. Authorities said the detentions were carried out in Cajicá, Maicao, Barranquilla and Bogotá as part of a cross-border investigation involving Colombian agencies and the United States.
Officials identified Carpio Cárdenas as the alleged head of one of the groups under investigation. Several associates tied to that same structure were also taken into custody during the operation.
How prosecutors say the network worked
According to allegations cited from the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, one ring handled and disguised drug-trafficking proceeds through a combination of deposit channels, cryptocurrency tokens and smurfing. The use of smurfing typically refers to breaking transactions into smaller amounts in an effort to avoid scrutiny from financial surveillance systems.
The case description says these methods were used to circulate illicit funds and make their origin harder to trace. The article did not specify which cryptocurrency assets were involved or how the alleged network was structured beyond those broad methods.
Case against Nassim Orfale Vasquez
Authorities also arrested Nassim Orfale Vasquez in Barranquilla. He is indicted in the Southern District of New York, where prosecutors allege he took part in a laundering structure that relied on cryptocurrency transactions to process drug-trafficking money.
The IRS has said Vasquez handled more than $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions beginning in 2018. That figure is presented as part of the U.S. case and does not by itself resolve the allegations, which remain subject to judicial process.
Extradition process and wider investigation
The people arrested are expected to face extradition procedures under Colombian law. Authorities said those proceedings will be carried out with due process protections observed.
Investigators are also examining whether the detained suspects were connected to a larger organization operating from Colombia’s Caribbean coast. For now, the confirmed next step is the legal process tied to the arrests, including the extradition phase and the continuing inquiry into any broader network.
Source: news.bitcoin.com