Carlos Erick Vazquez Gonzalez, a Mexican national extradited from Mexico in October, pleaded guilty to laundering drug-trafficking proceeds through cryptocurrency. Money brokers had him collect profits from cities across the United States, and about $4 million was secured in a crypto wallet under his control. He moved the digital assets to obscure their origins, sold them for U.S. dollars in Mexico and returned the cash for pickup in the United States, earning $40,000. His sentencing is scheduled for December 17, and he faces up to 20 years in prison. The case is part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by President Trump’s executive order. FinCEN said in 2024 that Mexican drug traffickers also used Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, Monero and other digital assets to buy fentanyl precursor chemicals, pill presses, die molds and related manufacturing equipment from Chinese companies.