MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — Three family members have been accused of an international gold smuggling and money laundering scheme that funneled over $24 million from the U.S. to Colombia.
The United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida made the announcement on Friday morning, stating that Beatriz Eugenia Hernandez, 57, her son Carlos Mathias Gonzalez, 26, and her brother Esteban Hernandez, 47, orchestrated the scheme by receiving shipments from a Colombian company.
According to officials, while the packages were labeled as containing metal widgets, about half of them actually included gold cylinders hidden inside and painted to resemble the widgets, evading detection…