Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Elbin Salvador Archaga-Ayestas, known as "Cuco," has been sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl and engaging in international money laundering. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued the sentence.
Archaga-Ayestas, a 21-year-old Honduran national, faced charges on December 7, 2023, through a superseding indictment. He was accused of distributing over 40 grams of fentanyl and committing three counts of international money laundering by sending the proceeds from his drug sales to Honduras using a money services business based in Oakland, California. On November 7, 2024, he pleaded guilty to all charges.
Court documents revealed that Archaga-Ayestas lived in Oakland but traveled to San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood to sell drugs. On May 11, 2023, he sold multiple ounces of fentanyl to an undercover officer. At his arrest on June 26, 2023, authorities found nearly 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl in his possession. Prior to his arrest, he had sent over $10,000 from his drug sales back to Honduras using Envios Express while circumventing Bank Secrecy Act reporting requirements by employing fake wire senders and multiple recipients.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Gonzalez Rogers mandated four years of supervised release for Archaga-Ayestas.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins alongside DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Linda Nguyen from the Oakland Field Office.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America under the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs). The initiative aims to identify and dismantle high-level drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Kassabian leads the prosecution with assistance from Amanda Martinez and Andy Ding following a year-long investigation by the DEA and IRS-CI.
