Two individuals were convicted Wednesday of laundering millions for the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, reports confirm. The U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Carl Von Garrett, from St. Charles, Missouri, and Ohio-native Tobiyyah Israel guilty on charges related to their involvement in a money laundering conspiracy.
In a significant crackdown on drug trafficking financial networks, both men now face the consequences of participating in a scheme that channeled illicit funds through St. Louis. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Von Garrett was the operation's "focal point," arranging the movement of substantial sums, while Israel functioned as a courier in the transactions.
Earlier in the investigation, two other men—Luis Miguel Hernandez of Phoenix and Antonio Jones of Florissant, Missouri—pleaded guilty to similar charges. Court records revealed that Hernandez admitted to his role in the cartel's financial operations during his plea, including his delivery of $100,095 in drug proceeds on one occasion. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth and Ricardo Dixon, who are prosecuting the case, described a series of cash drops that Jones completed, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The arrests shed light on a structured and deliberate scheme devised to funnel drug proceeds stealthily through the local financial system. During the trial, evidence presented to the jury included the seizure of six phones and a ledger from Von Garrett, which outlined a series of transactions with dates and amounts closely matching those of the cash drops. "On April 14, Israel picked up $221, 020 from Von Garrett," according to Delworth's presentation to the jury. Israel, facing the reality of his actions, told investigators he had been promised $1,000 to pick up the cash and had done so once before, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As this case draws towards its conclusion, with sentencing scheduled for August 21, the joint effort of federal and local law enforcement agencies underscores the ongoing commitment to disrupt criminal enterprises that infiltrate our financial systems. The Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and several police departments in Missouri were instrumental in bringing Von Garrett and Israel to justice.
