Crypto Cash & Caribbean Runs

⏱ 3 min read

San Juan, PR – Two men busted for moving drug money through cryptocurrency are cooling their heels in a Puerto Rico jail after being extradited from the Dominican Republic. Pedro J. Espinal-Arthur and Luis Febles-Peralta, along with Febles-Peralta’s brother Germán E. Arredondo-Peralta, are accused of laundering millions in drug proceeds from April 2021 to July 2022. The operation allegedly converted cash from narcotics sales into cryptocurrency, then shuffled it across borders – a classic move to muddy the trail.

Espinal-Arthur and Febles-Peralta were both snatched up by Dominican authorities on January 13, 2026, and delivered to the States on March 11, 2026. Court papers detail how the pair conspired to move dirty money, initially through cash, then converting it into crypto to hide its origins. Germán Arredondo-Peralta was arrested directly in Puerto Rico.

The indictment alleges the scheme netted at least $2,741,560. Feds are now going after that cash, plus any other assets tied to the operation. Febles-Peralta faces both money laundering and direct drug trafficking charges, suggesting he wasn’t just a bookkeeper, but allegedly involved in the actual flow of narcotics.

Prosecutors haven’t revealed the type of drugs involved, or the scale of the drug operation funding this laundering scheme. But a forfeiture claim of over $2.7 million points to a substantial operation. This isn’t just about hiding money; it’s about protecting a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise.”