Georgia Man Pleads Guilty in Money Laundering Scheme Involving Mexican Drug Cartels

A Georgia man pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 for his involvement in an organization to launder millions in illicit drug proceeds for Mexican cartels, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, and his co-conspirator, Chaojie Chen, 41, a Chinese national from Chicago, were arrested earlier this year. Before their arrests, they traveled throughout the United States to collect money from trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs, the DOJ said.
Tan and Chen worked with co-conspirators in China and other countries, according to the DOJ.
In a “sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme,” the defendants purchased bulk electronics in the United States and shipped the items to co-conspirators in China “to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds,” according to a DOJ press release published on Oct. 30….