Colombian National Pleads Guilty in Seven-Year Money Laundering Scheme Using Drug Proceeds

A Colombian national has pleaded guilty in the United States to participating in a seven-year money laundering conspiracy that used drug proceeds to purchase consumer electronics for export to Colombia.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Andrelio Castaño Rojas, 55, conspired to launder drug trafficking proceeds between January 2018 and March 2025 through a currency-exchange and trade-based structure involving U.S. bank accounts, bulk cash deposits and commercial purchases.

Drug proceeds moved through U.S. business accounts

Rojas opened U.S. bank accounts for two companies he controlled and arranged for those business accounts to receive drug proceeds through both bank wires and bulk cash deposits. The funds were then used to purchase consumer electronics in the United States.

The electronics were exported to Colombia, allowing criminal proceeds that had entered the U.S. financial system as cash and wire transfers to be converted into legitimate commercial goods. The arrangement illustrates how ordinary trade flows and corporate bank accounts can be used to move value across borders while distancing funds from their criminal origin.

Rojas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for 22 January 2027, and he faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. The final sentence will be determined by the federal court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Norfolk Resident Office and Miami Field Division. The prosecution is being handled by the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

For AML teams, the case is a straightforward example of how criminal proceeds can be integrated into apparently legitimate commercial activity: business accounts receive funds, physical goods are purchased, and value is transferred internationally through trade rather than a direct cross-border cash movement.