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OPERATION JUNO In September 1996, the DEA and the Internal Revenue Service began a pro-active undercover money laundering “sting” investigation called Operation Juno. Based out of a rented office building in suburban Atlanta, with a company called “Airmark,” DEA and IRS Special Agents gained permission from the Attorney General to open a legitimate stockbrokerage firm that served to validate the undercover money laundering operation.
Operation Juno was initiated after the seizure of approximately 386 kilograms of liquid cocaine, which had been found concealed and shipped in frozen fish from Cartagena, Colombia, in July 1995, and shipped under the name of a Colombian company, Colapia S.A., whose U.S. distribution center was in the Atlanta area. An investigation of Colapia S.A. revealed that the Atlanta owner was a partner with a prominent Cali, Colombia, narcotics trafficker. Members of his organization referred the Operation Juno stockbrokerage firm to other drug trafficking organizations in need of financial and money laundering services. Operation Juno then targeted those drug trafficking organizations, along with their associates and activities, by offering financial services to launder their drug proceeds. Special Agents picked up drug proceeds, usually ranging between $100,000 and $500,000 in U.S. currency. These pickups were conducted in public areas such as restaurants, parking lots, shopping centers, and city streets. The narcotic proceeds that were provided to Operation Juno personnel in cash were often delivered in gym bags, duffle bags, luggage, and boxes. Drug money pickups were made in Dallas, Houston, New York, Newark, Providence, Miami, and Chicago, as well as Madrid, Spain, and Rome, Italy. Operation Juno agents later wire-transferred the money from the collection city to an undercover bank account in Atlanta. The money was then distributed to various accounts in the U.S. and around the world at the direction of the targeted individuals.
Operation Juno agents then contracted a third-party money exchanger in Colombia, who typically would sell the U.S. dollars for pesos on the Colombian black market peso exchange. Colombian businessmen, who needed U.S. dollars for purchases of computers, electronic equipment, and other goods and services from companies in the United States, and were attempting to evade Colombia’s restrictions, tariffs, and taxes, contracted the third-party money exchanger to pay their bills in the U.S. with those same dollars, which technically never left the United States. The Colombian businessmen would tell the third party money exchanger where Operation Juno should wire transfer the dollars. The Colombian businessmen would then release an equal amount of pesos to the dollars they received, and the third-party exchanger, at the direction of Operation Juno, then deposited the pesos into the drug traffickers’ designated accounts in Colombia. Once the Colombian pesos were deposited into the designated bank accounts, the money laundering contract with the narcotics traffickers was fulfilled. A total of 55 arrests were made in the United States during the course of the investigation. Additional indictments were made against five Colombian nationals. Civil seizure warrants are also brought against 59 domestic bank accounts worldwide. Approximately $26 million in drug proceeds were targeted for seizure, with $10 million seized during the investigation, and the balance seized in 59 accounts at 34 U.S banks, and 282 accounts at 52 foreign banks. During the course of the investigation 59 pickups of U.S. dollars were effected. Subsequent enforcement activity resulting from these pickups led to the seizure of 3,601 kilograms of cocaine and 106 grams of hashish oil. |
