PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The proprietor of an area cash transmitter enterprise within the Pacific Northwest is accused of laundering cash for worldwide drug traffickers, federal authorities mentioned.
Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes operates La Fashionable, a cash service enterprise with places in Oregon and Washington. The 39-year-old Guatemalan nationwide residing in Beaverton is accused of laundering drug proceeds for felony organizations in Mexico and Honduras, the U.S. Division of Justice mentioned in a press launch.
PPB arrests ‘reckless’ blue pickup driver with IG following
Barrera Orantes was arraigned in federal courtroom this week and the Oregon Division of Monetary Regulation introduced they’ve issued an order in opposition to her to stop and desist all felony actions and regulatory violations associated to cash transmissions.
The alleged actions occurred between 2021 and 2024, during which Barrera Orantes is accused of getting accepted money from drug proceeds and wired funds by way of the La Fashionable shops. Barrera Orantes allegedly charged a ten% fee for the service. The exercise allegedly concerned creating false monetary data, together with “fictitious sender data to hide her cash laundering actions,” U.S. DOJ officers mentioned.
Of the greater than $89 million transferred by way of her enterprise in that timeframe, $18.5 million was despatched to areas in Mexico and Honduras related to drug trafficking organizations, courtroom paperwork mentioned.
“This investigation has revealed the pivotal position that cash service companies play in laundering the large proceeds of trafficking unlawful medicine in our group,” mentioned Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Restoration and Cash Laundering Division for the District of Oregon. “The quantity of soiled cash allegedly flowing by way of these small companies and again to Mexico and Honduras is actually staggering. We intend to carry accountable the operators of those companies who revenue by aiding drug trafficking organizations in laundering their proceeds.”
Police prep for weekend protests, street takeovers
Barrera Orantes was arrested in Beaverton on April 16 “with out incident” after investigators executed federal search warrants at her residence, and three La Fashionable shops in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Vancouver, officers mentioned.
If discovered responsible, Barrera Orantes faces a most sentence of 20 years in federal jail and a $500,000 effective or twice the worth of the cash laundered.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This materials might not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Source link