

The pair subsequently spread the money around among fellow conspirators who laundered the proceeds in various ways and got the money into the hands of traffickers in Colombia, the documents allege.Īt least $7 million in “illegal funds” passed through a business account belonging to one co-conspirator, according to Yabrudi’s plea agreement.Yabrubi was charged with money laundering in September. Neither the agent nor Yabrudi informed the DEA of the existence of the account, according to the court records. Hundreds of thousands of dollars “from illegal drug sales” was deposited into the account, the records state. He was deactivated at one point in 2013 for “unauthorized money movements.”Īccording to court records, the agent identified as a co-conspirator instructed Yabrudi in 2015 to recruit someone to open a bank account under a false name in Miami. These individuals may also have questionable motives for offering their services to law enforcement. Some informants have personalities that make them difficult to manage. Yabrudi worked on and off as an informant for the DEA from 2010 to 2016 with stints in New York, Boston and Miami, according to court records. Some of the more common motivational factors encountered by drug enforcement investigators include fear, revenge, money, repentance, and altruism. Concepcion, said in an email that the case is “still active” and, “I cannot discuss it as this time.” Typically sold in 10 gram amounts and called "fingers." DEAįentanyl is the deadliest drug in America, CDC confirms The information about the allegedly rogue agent is contained in a plea agreement between federal prosecutors and former DEA informant Gustavo Yabrudi, a Venezuelan-born Miami resident.ĭEA-Seized fentanyl in New Hampshire. Kurt Erskine, a top official in the US attorney’s office in Atlanta, declined comment on the case. The transfer of the matter to another jurisdiction is the sort of step federal authorities sometimes take in investigations involving allegations of official corruption.

Though the case was filed in Tampa, the prosecution is being overseen by the US Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia. The agent also directed additional money to be deposited into the accounts of his family members, the documents state.Ī DEA spokeswoman in Washington declined comment. The agent, according to court papers, received cash payments from an account containing hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money. The agent is not identified by name but is characterized as a “co-conspirator” in the case against a long-time DEA informant who has pleaded guilty to money laundering for the Colombians. The years-long conspiracy sometimes “involved the use of undercover accounts controlled by the DEA,” according to court papers filed in US District Court in Tampa, Florida. An agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration is under investigation in connection with a scheme to launder millions of dollars for Colombian drug traffickers, CNN has learned.
