Vice President of Car Dealership Sentenced to Six Years for Money Laundering and Drug Trafficking for the Gulf Cartel

ORLANDO—U.S. States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. today sentenced Eladio Marroquin-Medina (31, Apopka) to six years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Medina was the vice-president JM2 Auto Sales Inc. at 2636 Floral Avenue in Apopka.

Joel Torres, the president of JM2, was previously convicted by a federal jury of three counts of money laundering and 11 counts of failure to file IRS Form 8300 (a report required for cash purchases over $10,000). Torres’ sentencing is scheduled for February 25, 2013, before United States District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr.

According to court documents, Medina and Torres laundered narcotics proceeds for the Gulf Cartel at their car dealership in Apopka. The Gulf Cartel was a drug trafficking organization based out of Mexico. As payment for vehicles, Medina and Torres received money that was derived from narcotics sales. These vehicles were sent back to members of the Cartel in Texas and were also used by local Cartel members in Florida. At one point during the money laundering conspiracy, from October 26, 2010 to November 16, 2010, one Cartel member brought more than $115,000 in cash into JM2 for the purchase of vehicles.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Apopka Police Department; Orange County Sheriff’s Office; and Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher LaForgia and Shawn Napier.