A Colombian man will spend five years in prison and forfeit $1.2 million for a scheme that saw Mexican drug proceeds funneled into U.S. bank accounts before being sent to Colombia.
Michael Nunez Daza, 49, alias Luky, organized bulk pickups of Mexican drug money in multiple U.S. cities. From there, the cash was put into American bank accounts registered to other people and entities before being transferred again to Colombia, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Nunez Daza and his couriers in Cali, Colombia, received the laundered money as Colombian pesos within days of its deposit into the U.S.-based accounts. In one eight-month stretch from 2017-18, he laundered at least $1.2 million for his co-conspirators, who were based in Mexico.
Nunez Daza was indicted for money laundering conspiracy in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. from Colombia last April. He pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy on Aug. 14, the Justice Department said.
Previously, he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine before being deported from the U.S. back to Colombia in 2004.
