A U.S. district court sentenced a 60-year-old Venezuelan national Jorge Figueira to 12 years in prison and ordered him to surrender $1 billion for running a money laundering network tied to drug trafficking organizations, according to a Tuesday statement.
Investigators found that Figueira’s operation moved over $1 billion through a single cryptocurrency wallet and various financial accounts. The network funneled the illicit funds into and out of the U.S. using shell companies, traditional bank accounts, and cryptocurrency exchanges, directing outbound money to individuals and businesses worldwide, including in Colombia, China, Panama, and Mexico.
Source: OCCRP · 2026-11-04