Mexican National Pleads Guilty To Laundering Drug Cartel's Money

TAMPA, FL — Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez, 52, of Mexico, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to launder money related to cocaine sales in the United States, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Hurtado-Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Hurtado-Ramirez laundered money for a drug trafficking and money laundering organization that shipped cocaine from California and Nevada to various points in the eastern United States, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The drug cartels used couriers to conceal and transport the drug money back to California and Nevada.

According to the Department of Justice, Hurtado-Ramirez repeatedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cocaine proceeds from money couriers in California and concealed and disguised the nature of the funds and their ownership.

Hurtado-Ramirez was arrested in Bogotá, Colombia, on Sept. 21, 2019, and was extradited to the United States from Colombia on March 19.