A Chinese national residing in Georgia pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder millions of dollars in drug proceeds for an international network, the Department of Justice announced on June 3.
Huang Puquan, 50, was indicted in April 2025 alongside two others. Prosecutors say the group laundered at least $30 million tied to the trafficking of illegal drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl.
Beginning in 2021, Huang engaged in a “sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme,” traveling across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to collect bulk cash from illicit drug sales.
To evade law enforcement, the conspirators met traffickers at odd hours in atypical locations. They avoided exchanging names, instead using dollar bill serial numbers as “verification codes” and communicating via aliases on encrypted apps like WeChat.
The group then used the drug proceeds to purchase bulk electronics in the United States, shipping the products to co-conspirators in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
Prosecutors noted that Huang’s individual cash pickups typically ranged between $80,000 and $200,000. In one instance, he collected roughly $272,000 from a Mexican co-conspirator, which was later seized during a traffic stop.
The indictment highlighted a growing trend of money-laundering schemes involving Chinese "underground banking," which allows individuals to bypass China’s strict capital controls to move money abroad.
Huang now faces up to 20 years in prison. His attorney declined to comment on the case.
His co-defendants, Nasir Ullah and Naim Ullah of South Carolina, were indicted alongside him last year for their roles in the operation.
Justice Department officials emphasized that dismantling transnational criminal networks—and the Chinese money laundering organizations that support them—remains a critical federal priority.
This case follows similar recent prosecutions, including two Chinese nationals charged in Virginia in May for laundering money on behalf of Mexican cartels.
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