The Justice Department is intensifying pressure on drug cartels by going after money brokers who launder profits, with a focus on cryptocurrency to move funds from American cities to cartel leaders in Mexico.

Officials say these cases fit a broader strategy to cut off the cartels’ money supply, which could unlock further indictments of senior leaders if cooperating defendants provide information.

Four defendants tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and other violent groups have been charged in a Kentucky federal court with money laundering conspiracies, highlighting a network behind cartel finances beyond street-level trafficking.

The piece discusses ongoing legal and political debates over extraditions and how prosecutions are being used strategically to disrupt cartel financial networks.

The charged defendants are Eduardo Rigoberto Velasco Calderon, Eliomar Segura Torres, Manuel Ignacio Correa, and Cesar Linares-Orozco, all facing money laundering conspiracy charges; at least one defendant’s lawyer declined comment.

In January, 37 defendants were transferred from Mexico to the U.S., marking the third such operation during Trump’s second term, with critics arguing the transfers bypass extradition orders while Mexico defends them as legal under national security grounds.

Mexican authorities have moved multiple cartel members to the United States for prosecution, a policy framed by officials as lawful national-security action though some critics question the extradition process.

The transfers of 37 defendants during Trump’s second term are part of a broader legal-security strategy against escalating cartel threats, even as extradition legality remains a point of contention.

DOJ officials underscore that dismantling financial networks aims to disrupt drug trafficking by cutting revenue streams, not just targeting street-level activity.