Broker for Colombian Money Laundering Organization Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison

BOSTON – A Colombian man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a sophisticated money laundering organization that laundered approximately $1 million in proceeds from drug trafficking through United States banks.

Luis Fernando Galindo Ramos, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 38 months in prison. In December 2023, Galindo Ramos pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy, seven counts of laundering of monetary instruments and eight counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. Galindo Ramos was arrested in Cali, Colombia in November 2021 and extradited to the United States in June 2023. 

In or about August 2016, Galindo Ramos was identified as a member of a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Cali, Colombia that laundered approximately $1 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States – including banks in Massachusetts – by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). 

As a money broker for the organization, Galindo Ramos arranged the domestic transfer of substantial amounts of bulk cash within the United States. He maintained the security of those funds during the transfers through the exchange of passcodes. The funds were subsequently integrated into bank accounts located in the United States and held in the names of businesses and individuals in order to repay drug suppliers in Colombia. By using the BMPE, Galindo Ramos conspired to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement. Approximately $550,000 in laundered bulk currency was seized during the investigation.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Galindo Ramos. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.