Colombian national sentenced to 5 years for laundering drug money

A Colombian national who operated an international money laundering network spanning three countries was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $1.2 million for conspiring to launder drug trafficking proceeds.

According to the Justice Department, Michael Nunez Daza, 49, known by the alias “Luky,” led a sophisticated transnational operation that moved illicit cash between Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.

Prosecutors said Nunez Daza arranged bulk cash pickups in multiple US cities on behalf of Mexican drug traffickers, coordinating couriers who collected large sums of drug proceeds.

Once the cash was gathered, Nunez Daza directed associates to deposit the money into US bank accounts held under the names of other individuals and companies to disguise its origin. The funds were then transferred through additional accounts and ultimately moved overseas to Colombia. Within days of the US deposits, prosecutors said, matching amounts of Colombian pesos were delivered to Nunez Daza and his couriers in Cali, Colombia.

Court filings show that between 2017 and 2018, an eight-month span, Nunez Daza successfully laundered at least $1.2 million for his Mexico-based co-conspirators. His criminal activity followed an earlier conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine; he was deported to Colombia in 2004 after serving his sentence.

Nunez Daza was indicted on money laundering conspiracy charges in January 2023. Colombian authorities arrested him, and he was extradited to the United States in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on August 14, 2025.

The FBI led the investigation, while the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section prosecuted the case. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida provided additional support, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Colombian authorities to secure his arrest and extradition.

Officials noted that the prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combating illegal immigration tied to organized crime, and reducing violent crime in US communities.