Guatemalan Woman Charged with Laundering $89 Million in Drug Money Through Oregon Money Service Stores
Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes (39), a Guatemalan national living in Beaverton, has been charged with laundering drug money via her money service business, La Popular.
She Charged 10% For Her Money Laundering Service
Barrera Orantes allegedly charged a 10 percent commission for laundering drug proceeds cash and wiring the funds via her two La Popular stores in Oregon and one in Washington. According to court documents, the transactions took place between 2021 and 2024.
She is also alleged to have collaborated with others to split sums of money into smaller transactions and used fictitious sender information to conceal her illegal activities.
More Than $89 Million Transferred Via Her La Popular Stores
According to financial records, more than $89 million was transferred via her three stores, with $18.5 million wired to Honduras and regions in Mexico that are associated with drug trafficking organizations.
In a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon, the investigation has uncovered “the pivotal role that money service businesses play in laundering the proceeds of trafficking illegal drugs in our community,” according to Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division for the District of Oregon.
The Amount of Money Flowing Back to Mexico and Honduras is Staggering
De Villiers says the amount of laundered drug money flowing through the three small businesses back to Honduras and Mexico is “staggering.”
She warns that her office will hold business operators who profit from assisting drug trafficking organizations accountable for their actions. Her warning was echoed by FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson.
He said drug trafficking harmed local communities, and people who profit from these illicit activities will not be tolerated.
Barrera Orantes’ residence and three La Popular stores – two in Oregon in Beaverton and Hillsboro, and a third in Vancouver, Washington – were searched by investigators on Wednesday, 16 April, after which Barrera Orantes was arrested.
She appeared in federal court on Thursday and was ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Barrera Orantes faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the amount of money laundered, and five years of supervised release.
This case is under investigation by the IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, and the Westside Interagency Narcotics team. Prosecutors are Christopher L. Cardani and Julia Jarrett, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Takeaway
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide campaign under the Department of Justice to fight the invasion of illegal immigration, eliminate drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities.