Dominican Drug Trafficking Leader Extradited to US to Face Money Laundering Charges
U.S. authorities said Erick Randhiel Mosquea Polanco, 45, the alleged leader of a Dominican Republic-based international cocaine trafficking and money laundering organisation, was extradited from Colombia to the United States on 26 August 2026. He made an initial appearance in Puerto Rico on 27 August and is expected to appear later in New Jersey.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Mosquea Polanco faces drug-trafficking charges under separate indictments in Puerto Rico and New Jersey, as well as a money-laundering conspiracy charge in New Jersey. The prosecutions form part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
Alleged laundering of millions in cocaine proceeds
According to the New Jersey case, Mosquea Polanco allegedly led an organisation that distributed more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere between January 2020 and September 2023. Prosecutors allege that he coordinated the laundering of millions of dollars in cocaine proceeds to the Dominican Republic and other locations.
Law enforcement seized dozens of kilograms of cocaine and more than US$6 million in narcotics proceeds during the investigation, according to DOJ. Numerous other members of the organisation have already been convicted.
The New Jersey superseding indictment charges Mosquea Polanco with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The money-laundering conspiracy count carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to US$500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater.
Cases span Puerto Rico and New Jersey
In Puerto Rico, an October 2016 indictment alleges that Mosquea Polanco and co-conspirators began no later than January 2013 to import and attempt to import cocaine into the United States. A separate June 2022 Puerto Rico indictment charges him with additional cocaine-importation and distribution conspiracies involving the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Colombia.
DOJ said Mosquea Polanco was arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the United States. The DEA has identified him as a Regional Priority Organizational Target. Investigations have involved the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and FBI, with assistance from U.S. and Colombian authorities.
The charges are allegations. Mosquea Polanco is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
The case illustrates the cross-border financial infrastructure that can accompany large-scale narcotics trafficking, with proceeds allegedly moved from U.S. drug distribution back to overseas jurisdictions alongside the underlying commodity flows.
