In federal court today, the proprietor of a business located in Olathe, Kansas, admitted to participating in a conspiracy to launder money for the transfer of funds from the trafficking of heroin and methamphetamine to Mexico. Along with that, a woman from Kansas City, Missouri, also admitted to her participation in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
From May 23, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022, Ana Lilia Leal-Martinez, a 48-year-old citizen of Mexico who lives in Overland Park, admitted to participating in a money laundering conspiracy. She pleaded guilty in front of U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips.
From January 1st to June 8th of 2022, Leal-Martinez facilitated a money-laundering scheme by sending wires totaling $83,850 to Mexico from her business. To avoid detection and suspicion, she used assumed names and structured the transfers accordingly.
In 2022, Leal-Martinez was identified as one of the 44 defendants indicted in a drug-trafficking case. The investigation was initiated by Homeland Security Investigations, targeting an organization distributing over 335 kilograms of methamphetamine, 22 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl in the Kansas City area. The organization sourced these drugs from Mexico and used numerous bulk cash smugglers and drug traffickers as part of their $4.7 million conspiracy.
Flor Gonzalez-Celestine, 54, from Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty today for her involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin worth $4.7 million. The conspiracy took place between February 28, 2020, and September 20, 2022. Gonzalez-Celestine was involved in four controlled drug purchases that were monitored by law enforcement. She sold over a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential informant and was caught in possession of approximately 2.2 additional kilograms of methamphetamine.
Sanchez-Mendez has admitted to participating in an ongoing criminal organization, drug trafficking, and money laundering schemes, as well as illegally returning to the United States. A date for his sentencing hearing has yet to be determined.
According to federal statutes, Leal-Martinez could potentially face a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Meanwhile, Gonzalez-Celestine is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, and could receive a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. It’s important to note that the maximum statutory sentence is set by Congress and is shared here for informational purposes only. The court will ultimately determine the defendants’ sentences based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Following the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office, sentencing hearings will be scheduled.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Megan A. Baker are handling the prosecution of this case, which involved the collaborative efforts of several law enforcement agencies. The investigative team included Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Olmsted County, Minn., Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI, the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Task Force to Combat Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement
This particular case is a component of a broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF program is focused on identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the most significant criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States. This is achieved through a collaborative and intelligence-led approach, led by prosecutors and involving multiple agencies. For more information about the OCDETF program, please visit justice.gov.
KC Metro Strike Force:
The Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative was responsible for initiating this prosecution. The initiative establishes the creation of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work together in the same location. This collaborative co-located model allows agents from various agencies to work together on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets and their affiliated illicit financial networks. The co-located Strike Forces, led by prosecutors, leverage the synergy created through the long-term relationships forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who work together over time. This model has proven to be the most effective in combating organized crime.