Meth & Millions: Duarte-Tello Linked to Int’l Scheme

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – The stench of meth and dirty money is thick in the air as a federal investigation in Kansas has exposed ties between local drug traffickers and a sprawling international money laundering scheme. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister announced today that the Kansas case is interwoven with a much larger operation, with charges unsealed against 40 individuals in San Diego.

Federal prosecutors in California revealed the scheme laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from dealers across the United States, ultimately sending the cash south to suppliers in Mexico. Crucially, two of the defendants named in the California indictment – Juan Duarte-Tello, 44, of Kansas City, Mo., and Diana Aurora Holguin-Gallegos, 30, also of Kansas City, Mo. – were already indicted by a Kansas grand jury. Their case remains pending in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.

“Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt and his team of investigators in Kansas has been working on this for two years,” McAllister stated, underscoring the depth and complexity of the probe. The California indictment alleges that Duarte-Tello and Holguin-Gallegos acted as money couriers, transporting substantial amounts of cash generated from the illicit drug trade. This takedown is the result of a multi-year investigation spearheaded by the FBI San Diego Cross Border Violence Task Force, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

The investigation hasn’t been confined to California or Kansas. Dozens of additional defendants have been charged with crimes ranging from drug distribution to money laundering across the nation, including in Ohio, Kentucky, and Washington. According to court documents, Jose Robert Lopez-Albarran, identified as a key money broker for the Mexican-based organization, allegedly laundered tens of millions of dollars between 2015 and 2018. Law enforcement has seized over $6 million in U.S. currency as a direct result of the investigation.

Here in Kansas, Duarte-Tello and Holguin-Gallegos await trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, alongside other offenses. Investigators discovered they were renting residences in both Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., explicitly for the storage and distribution of methamphetamine. The Kansas investigation itself yielded significant seizures: over 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, three kilograms of cocaine, and more than $100,000 in cash.

The Kansas case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt is leading the prosecution. This isn’t just about seizing drugs and cash; it’s about dismantling a sophisticated network that fuels addiction and violence on both sides of the border. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it unfolds, bringing you the unvarnished truth about the criminal underworld operating in our backyard.