DOJ is indicting 10 people for drug trafficking and money laundering

"We are here today to announce the return and unsealing of indictments charging a combined group of 10 defendants in connection with drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, including members of two Mexico-based cartels, namely, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Today is an important day for the Department of Justice, the citizens of the Northern District of Georgia, and for the American people in our shared fight against the flood of deadly drugs crossing our borders into the United States.

It is also an important day for the citizens of Mexico, who are terrorized daily by the violence unleashed by these cartels."

On April 15, 2025, federal authorities in Atlanta announced the formal indictment of Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana, for conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl in the United States. The indictment, issued in September and recently unsealed, also includes charges of money laundering. Both brothers are fugitives in Mexico, and the State Department is offering rewards of up to $5 million for Johnny and $3 million for José Alfredo.

Additionally, the Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on the Hurtado brothers and other cartel members, freezing their assets in the U.S. and blocking transactions with American entities. They are accused of trafficking "rainbow fentanyl," a drug designed to appeal to young people, and of using methods such as the sale of used clothing to launder money. These measures are part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations and strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.

In parallel, the Department of Justice has also indicted Rodolfo Maldonado-Bustos and Euclides Camacho-Goicochea, leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana, for conspiring to import heroin into the U.S. Both face sanctions from the Treasury Department and are considered fugitives in Mexico. The investigation revealed that Maldonado-Bustos coordinated heroin production in Mexico and its distribution in cities such as Atlanta and Houston.

These actions reflect a joint effort by U.S. agencies to dismantle the operations of Mexican cartels, targeting both their criminal activities and financial structures.