BOSTON – A Colombian man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that funneled over $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through U.S., Caribbean, and European banking systems.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, on December 11, 2024, 62-year-old Jaime Humberto Mejia-Bencardino pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and 16 counts of laundering monetary instruments, receiving a 115-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns. Extradited to the U.S. to face these charges, he faces deportation upon completing his sentence.
Indicted in May 2022 with 20 others from Colombia, Jamaica, and Florida, the defendant was part of a conspiracy investigated since October 2016. The organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds, primarily through the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE), using intermediary banks in the U.S., including Massachusetts, as well as Caribbean and European banks. The BMPE concealed drug trafficking proceeds and evaded U.S. and Colombian currency exchange regulations. Roles within the conspiracy included drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers, and business owners purchasing dollars…