Mexican national pleads guilty to laundering $4 million in drug proceeds through cryptocurrency

Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez, a 48-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy after laundering approximately $4 million in U.S. drug trafficking proceeds. Working with money brokers, Vazquez Gonzalez accepted narcotics proceeds into a cryptocurrency wallet, moved the digital assets to obscure their origin, and then sold them for U.S. dollars in Mexico. He received a $40,000 commission for his role. Vazquez Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison at his December 17, 2026 sentencing.

Vazquez Gonzalez guilty plea

• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 17, 2026.
• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez was extradited from Mexico to the United States in October 2025.
• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez, a 48-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in connection with drug trafficking proceeds.

Cryptocurrency money laundering scheme

• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez accepted approximately $4 million in drug proceeds into a cryptocurrency wallet under his control and moved the funds to obscure their origin.
• ▪Reports link Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez to the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion criminal organization, whose leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes was killed in February 2026.
• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez received an estimated $40,000 commission for his role in the cryptocurrency money laundering scheme.

Cross-border drug proceeds operation

• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez sold the cryptocurrency for U.S. dollars in Mexico and returned the bulk cash to the money brokers.
• ▪Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez worked with money brokers who collected drug profits in U.S. cities, converted them to cryptocurrency, and returned them to Mexico.

Multi-agency DEA investigation

• ▪The Drug Enforcement Administration Lexington Resident Office led the investigation into Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez, with assistance from DEA offices in Mexico and 15 U.S. cities.
• ▪The prosecution of Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez was announced by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, U.S. Attorney Jason Parman, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott.

Homeland Security Task Force initiative

• ▪The prosecution of Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159.
• ▪The Homeland Security Task Force initiative is a government-wide partnership aimed at eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling networks.

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