Cartel suspect smuggled millions in cash

Written by Sandra Dibble
9:42 p.m., Aug. 21, 2012

TIJUANA — A U.S. citizen suspected of working for the Sinaloa cartel has confessed to smuggling up to $24 million in U.S. currency into Mexico, Baja California authorities said Tuesday.

Elias López López, known as El Pantera, was in charge of transporting drug money from Los Angeles to Tijuana for the cartel, according to a statement by the Baja California Public Safety Secretariat. He was arrested Sunday in Tijuana in a car with close to $1 million in cash.

After the arrest, López allegedly told authorities that for several months he had smuggled up to $500,000 per week into Mexico.

The money came from a contact in Los Angeles, authorities said, with the majority of the cash eventually destined for the city of Culiacán in the state of Sinaloa, where it was delivered to Sinaloa cartel leaders.

A native of Los Angeles, López said he was recruited by a classmate to work for the drug trafficking organization, authorities said. López was also the owner of a seafood restaurant in Tijuana called Centro Botanero El Cora, authorities said, and he used the business to launder drug money.

Cartel suspect smuggled millions in cash | UTSanDiego.com