LOS ANGELES, CA
A Monrovia man has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for conspiring to move millions of dollars in proceeds for the Sinaloa cartel and other narcotics traffickers.
Harinder Singh, a.k.a. ‘Sonu,’ 34, was sentenced late Monday by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder, who imposed the sentence after noting Singh’s ‘escalating’ involvement in the money laundering conspiracy.
Singh was sentenced after being found guilty by a jury last January of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and operating an unlicensed money transmitted business.
The evidence presented at his two-week trial showed that Singh participated in a hawala conspiracy that moved money generated from drug sales in Canada to the United States. The money was used to pay for multi-kilogram drug purchases in Los Angeles, which was then routed to Canada for distribution.
California Highway Patrol officers discovered $274,980 in U.S. currency wrapped in black plastic when Singh was stopped in October 2012. During that traffic stop, Drug Enforcement Administration special agents conducted surveillance and observed Singh’s wife exiting the couple’s apartment complex carrying a bag, which was later found to contain $388,100 in U.S. currency.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy was responsible for transferring at least $4 million in drug proceeds. During the course of a four-year investigation by the DEA’s L.A. Strike Force and IRS Criminal Investigation, authorities seized nearly $15.5 million in bulk U.S. currency, 321 kilograms of cocaine, 98 pounds of methamphetamine, 11 kilograms of MDMA, and nine kilograms of heroin.
Singh was the 17th defendant convicted as a result of a 2015 grand jury indictment that was the first major United States criminal case involving ‘hawala’ transfers of drug money. Singh’s uncle, Sucha Singh, received a 63-month sentence for his role as a hawala broker.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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