Woman Who Laundered Cartel Cash, Trafficked Kilos of Narcotics From 18-Wheelers Pleads Guilty

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="RALEIGH" datavalue="RALEIGH"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GREENVILLE" datavalue="GREENVILLE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="NEW BERN" datavalue="NEW BERN"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="WILMINGTON" datavalue="WILMINGTON"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="ELIZABETH CITY" datavalue="ELIZABETH CITY">RALEIGH, N.C. - Oralia Rodriguez Flores, age 40, pled guilty to three federal charges related to her role in trafficking narcotics and money laundering for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Flores, who lived in Clayton, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. When sentenced, Flores faces up to life imprisonment.

"The CJNG cartel is one of Mexico's most violent drug trafficking organizations," said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. "Their brutal reign is bankrolled by American drug proceeds flowing back to cartel leaders. Our strategy is to systematically degrade the entire criminal network by taking down the traffickers running narcotics to the Carolinas and cutting off the cashflow back to Mexico. Our new Illicit Finance Task Force dismantles the financial infrastructure enabling illegal cashflows to disrupt the cartels' financial incentives."

"Oralia Rodriguez Flores endangered countless individuals by trafficking in large quantities of deadly methamphetamine and cocaine," said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. "She knowingly and intentionally helped members from the violent CJNG cartel distribute their drugs and launder their money."

According to information presented in court, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents determined that Flores, acting at the direction of a Mexican source of supply, was distributing kilogram quantities of narcotics to and from South Carolina customers. Agents used a variety of investigative techniques to conduct a controlled purchase of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that Flores was selling kilograms of cocaine for $22,000 per kilogram.

On another occasion, Flores was observed picking up cocaine for a customer. She traveled from her home in Clayton to a Blythewood, South Carolina hotel. Flores then told the customer she had 18 kilograms of cocaine and sent video evidence.

During a later interview with agents, Flores admitted being involved with drug trafficking for approximately three years. She explained that she met drivers of 18-wheeler trucks on five or six occasions to pick up cocaine from Mexico. Each shipment contained approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine. She then distributed the drugs to customers in South Carolina. Flores also said that her source of supply in Mexico sent the methamphetamine she distributed from Mexico to California, and then it was mailed to South Carolina.

Flores also laundered drug proceeds to Mexico. She admitted that she provided over $1 million in cash to commercial truck drivers and that she delivered drug proceeds to runners for an Asian money laundering network that were then sent to the source of supply in Mexico. Flores also used money service businesses to wire money to Mexico.

Flores prosecution results from an investigation by the Eastern District of North Carolina's Illicit Finance Task Force (IFTF) and from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Created in 2024 in partnership with the Treasury Executive Office of Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF), the IFTF is an interagency anti-money laundering task force comprised of prosecutors and agents. The IFTF is dedicated to combatting money laundering activities affecting the Eastern District of North Carolina through strategic use of criminal and civil laws. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. The investigation is being conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the DEA.

Assistant U.S. Attorney's Toby Lathan and Charles Loeser are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-252-M.