Oralia Rodriguez Flores, 40, entered a guilty plea to federal accusations of money laundering and drug trafficking, dealing a serious blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s activities. Flores pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, all of which acknowledged her involvement in a narcotics ring that stretched from Mexico to the Carolinas. The Clayton resident might end up in prison.
“The CJNG cartel is one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations,” U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. stated in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, describing the extent of the operation. Easley Jr. laid out the plan for methodically weakening the criminal network in an aggressive attempt to stop the flow of drugs and cash that support this cartel. This involves stifling the money that travels back to Mexico and impairing the flow of drugs into the Carolinas.
The DEA Atlanta Division’s Special Agent in Charge, Robert J. Murphy, emphasized Flores’ involvement in the risky activities of the cartel. “She knowingly and intentionally helped members from the violent CJNG cartel distribute their drugs and launder their money,” Murphy stated. Flores oversaw massive drug shipments, delivering kilogram amounts to clients in South Carolina and transporting cocaine from Mexico using commercial 18-wheeler vehicles, according to court documents.
Flores sent more than $1 million in cash to truck drivers and used an Asian money laundering network to move money, among other ways, to launder the drug cartel’s profits, according to the court proceedings. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Flores dealt in lethal goods, transacting kilograms of cocaine for $22,000 apiece, as seen when she picked up a consignment from a hotel for a customer. Video footage later showed that she had 18 kilograms in her possession.Five or six times, she met with the drivers of long-haul trucks to pick up drugs.
This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation that aims to dismantle high-level criminal groups and the Eastern District of North Carolina’s Illicit Finance Task Force. By strategically applying criminal and civil laws, these initiatives play a key role in upending the financial foundation of narcotics organizations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Toby Lathan and Charles Loeser led the government’s prosecution, and the DEA and IRS-Criminal Investigation supported the investigation.
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