Georgia Man Sentenced To 6.5 Years In Prison For Laundering Cartel Money

Li Pei Tan, a Georgia man, received a 6.5-year prison sentence for laundering money for Mexican cartels. He pleaded guilty in October 2024 after being arrested earlier that year. Tan worked with Chaojie Chen, who was sentenced to over 7.5 years for the same crime. They laundered money for the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, major players in the fentanyl crisis. The criminals gathered cash from drug sales across the U.S. and transported it across state lines for laundering. They used encrypted messaging, U.S. and Chinese bank accounts, and shipped electronics to China for laundering purposes. Tan was caught with almost $200,000 in drug money before his arrest, and his total laundering activities exceeded $3.5 million. Prosecutors sought a nine-year sentence, arguing it would deter similar crimes. Tan's lawyer said that he regrets his involvement and is a hardworking family man. Another Chinese national, Pan Haiping, was also sentenced to 10 years for similar money laundering activities.