Overview
- A federal grand jury in Alexandria returned the indictment on April 24, 2025, charging Ruhuan Zhen and Hongce Wu with conspiracy to launder money for transnational criminal organizations.
- The DOJ says the network ran from at least November 2016 through April 2025 and used mirror transfers, overseas accounts, encrypted apps, serial‑number checks and trade‑based laundering to hide funds.
- Prosecutors allege the laundered money came from narcotics trafficking, including sales of cocaine and fentanyl, and that the scheme involved accomplices in the United States, Mexico, Latin America, China and other countries.
- Both men remain fugitives and face statutory maximum sentences of up to 20 years if convicted, though the indictment does not state dollar amounts moved or identify a specific Mexican cell.
- The case was developed with DEA special operations and DOJ money‑laundering units and signals a broader U.S. push to disrupt the financial systems that let cartels place and move drug profits across borders.