A Dominican national living in Boston, Jose Miguel Pena de la Cruz, has been charged with money laundering conspiracy. The 32-year-old appeared in federal court on March 18, 2025.
According to the charging documents, between April and May of 2020, Pena de la Cruz allegedly delivered $340,080 for a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) to be laundered for a DTO in Mexico. It is alleged that he handed over bulk cash drug proceeds to undercover law enforcement officers after coordinating with DTO members.
The investigation led to the seizure of over 14 kilograms of fentanyl from the DTO connected to Pena de la Cruz. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds. Deportation may follow any imposed sentence.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna is handling the prosecution.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
All details in the charging document are allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
