A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, has unsealed an indictment charging two Chinese nationals with orchestrating a massive, multi-year money laundering conspiracy tied to some of the world’s most notorious drug cartels.
Ruhuan Zhen and Hongce Wu are accused of laundering vast quantities of narcotics proceeds for transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). According to court records, the illicit funds came from the importation and sale of illegal drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl.
Federal authorities allege the operation ran from at least November 2016 through April 2025. During this time, Zhen, Wu, and their co-conspirators allegedly built a global network spanning the United States, Mexico, Latin America, China, and several other countries.
To keep the money moving without detection, the group allegedly relied on a complex web of secretive methods. Prosecutors state that the defendants used mirror transfers, foreign bank accounts, encrypted communication apps, trade-based money laundering, and even a serial-number verification system to process the cash.
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The indictment was officially returned on April 24, 2025, but remained sealed until yesterday. Both Zhen and Wu currently remain at large. If caught and convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will ultimately determine their sentences based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division.
The extensive investigation was led by the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit. The case required heavy coordination across multiple law enforcement branches, receiving assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, the Document and Media Exploitation Unit, and various DEA field divisions and resident offices, including those in Washington, Memphis, Lexington, Chicago, New York, Charleston, Atlanta, and Charlotte, as well as international offices in Bogota and Dubai.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia. MNF Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell also provided substantial assistance during the investigation.
The MNF stated that its core mission is “to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system.” The section actively pursues criminal prosecutions and asset recovery against financial facilitators, international money launderers, and the command-and-control structures of international drug organizations.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, a coordinated, nationwide Department of Justice initiative designed to target illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal networks, and protect communities from violent crime.
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