U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Airplane Broker Charged with 200 Counts of Laundering $3.6 Million for Drug Traffickers via Purchase of More than 35 Airplanes
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California
SAN DIEGO – A Mexican airplane broker, his wife and others are charged in a 200-count grand jury indictment with laundering the funds of drug traffickers through the sale of 35 Cessna airplanes intended for use in illicit smuggling.
Vincente Contreras-Amezquita, who lived in San Diego during the time period in question, was arrested last week and appeared in court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard G. Skomal. The judge scheduled a detention hearing for July 30, 2015 at 2:30 p.m.
According to the indictment, Contreras-Amezquita and others facilitated the acquisition and purchase of the Cessnas and airplane parts, including auxiliary fuel tanks, heavy duty tires and landing gear for landing on clandestine airfields. Cessna 206s and 210s are types of airplanes preferred by drug-trafficking organizations operating in Mexico because of their reliability, speed and ability to carry heavy payloads over long distances.
The indictment alleged that Contreras-Amezquita and others used 46 different U.S. bank accounts to deposit $3.6 million in cash deposits during a five-year period and initiated inter-fund transfers for the purchase of airplanes and airplane parts.
The indictment further alleged that in order to conceal his crimes, Contreras-Amezquita collected the unlawful drug proceeds in random locations, like strip malls, parking lots, aircraft hangars and fast-food restaurants.
In order to hide the source of the illicit cash, and to evade the currency reporting requirements, Conreras-Amezquita instructed his money laundering crew to arrange for structured cash deposits under $10,000 into multiple bank accounts at different U.S. financial institutions to avoid reporting requirements.
As part of the money laundering scheme, defendant Contreras-Amezquita and his money laundering crew opened new accounts using different names, different forms of identification, and different addresses. Often times, the money laundering crew would conduct multiple deposits on the same and consecutive days, into multiple bank accounts at multiple branch offices of these financial institutions. On occasion, defendants would travel to multiple branches of the financial institutions located within the same geographic location. They would also travel to multiple states, including Connecticut, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and California, to conduct these financial transactions.
Immediately following the structured deposits, defendants Vincente Contreras-Amezquita and his crew engaged in convoluted financial transactions by initiating and authorizing various fund transfers between these multiple bank accounts. Defendants would engage in fund transfers into designated bank accounts because these designated bank accounts would be used to initiate payment for the airplanes or airplane parts.
Contreras-Amezquita faces up to 20 years in custody.
DEFENDANT Case Number 15CR1144MMA
Vicente Contreras-Amezquita Age 44 Tijuana
CHARGES
CONSPIRACY CHARGES
|
Count 1 |
Conspiracy To Launder Money
|
18/1956(h) 18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) |
|
Count 2 |
Conspiracy to Engage in Monetary Transactions |
18/1956(h) 18/1957
|
|
Count 3 |
Conspiracy to Violate Structure Currency Deposits
|
31/5324(a)(3) |
SUBSTANTIVE COUNTS
CESSNA #1 – N761KT
|
Counts 4-17 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 18-22 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 23-24 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 25 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #2 – N6474C
|
Counts 26-45 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 46-51 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 52-53 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 54 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #3 – N6364Y
|
Counts 55-65 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Count 66 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 67-68 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 69 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #4 – N4960C
|
Counts 70-84 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 85-86 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 87-88 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 89 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #5 – N6195Y
|
Counts 90-105 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 106 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 107-109 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 110 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #6 – N345HI
|
Counts 111-120 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 121-122 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
|
Counts 123-124 |
Aiding and Abetting/ Engage in Monetary Transactions (payments from accounts only) |
18/1957 18/2
|
|
Count 125 |
Aiding and Abetting/Structuring
|
31/5324(a)(3) 18/2
|
CESSNA #7 – N7615Q
|
Counts 126-136 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML - Avoid a transaction reporting requirement (deposits only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) 18/2 |
|
Counts 137-139 |
Aiding and Abetting/ML – Conceal & Disguise Nature, Location, Source, Ownership & Control of Proceeds (inter fund transfers only)
|
18/1956(a)(1)(B)(i) 18/2 |
Updated August 5, 2015
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component