Colombian National Indicted in $135 Million Drug-Proceeds Money Laundering Conspiracy
A Colombian national has been indicted in the United States for allegedly participating in a $135 million international money laundering conspiracy involving drug proceeds, shell corporations and a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced on 10 September 2026 that a federal grand jury in Greenville returned a single-count indictment charging 40-year-old William Andres Holguin Mendez with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Drug proceeds allegedly moved through shell-company accounts
According to the indictment, the FBI began investigating suspected international laundering of drug proceeds in the Greenville area in August 2023. Investigators identified multiple bank accounts associated with shell corporations that allegedly received proceeds from illegal narcotics sales.
The funds were then allegedly transferred from those accounts to a single account at a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange. The Justice Department said Know Your Customer information obtained during the investigation identified Holguin Mendez as the sole owner of the relevant accounts.
Prosecutors allege that the conspiracy involved approximately $135 million in illegal drug proceeds. Holguin Mendez is currently detained pending trial and, if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
KYC records feature prominently in the alleged money trail
The case illustrates the potential evidential value of customer-identification records when illicit funds move between conventional bank accounts and digital-asset platforms. In this investigation, prosecutors specifically cited KYC information from the cryptocurrency exchange as part of the process used to identify the ownership of the accounts receiving the alleged drug proceeds.
The indictment remains an allegation. Holguin Mendez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Source
U.S. Department of Justice, Colombian National Indicted in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation into $135M Money Laundering Conspiracy, 10 September 2026.
