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Wife of Large-Scale Drug Trafficker Sentenced for Money Laundering
BOSTON – A California woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for her role in a money laundering conspiracy involving proceeds of methamphetamine and marijuana distribution. Christina Lua, 51, of Santa Rosa, Cali., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 12 months and one day in prison followed by one year of supervised release.
Lua pleaded guilty to one count of a second superseding indictment charging her with money laundering conspiracy in April 2024. The indictment charged Lua and four others with money laundering conspiracy in September 2021 as part of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that involved 11 defendants.
The investigation, which began in October 2020, uncovered a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation in the Boston area led by Lua’s husband, Reshat Alkayisi. Alkayisi distributed multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine to distributors throughout the New England area. Lua assisted Alkayisi in laundering his drug proceeds, including by purchasing vehicles with cash drug proceeds and depositing cash drug proceeds in amounts less than $10,000 to conceal the nature of the funds and avoid reporting requirements.
During the investigation, investigators seized over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, an AK-47, a Glock with no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns, and over 4,200 rounds of ammunition. A marijuana grow operation with hundreds of marijuana plants was also dismantled.
Lua is the third defendant to be sentenced. The remaining eight defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Shawn Jenkins, Interim Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; and Concord, Hudson, Peabody, Reading, Watertown and Waltham Police Departments. Assistance was also provided by the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Katherine Ferguson of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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