A federal grand jury has indicted seven foreign nationals — all illegal aliens — for a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy involving money laundering, drug trafficking proceeds, and illegal firearm possession.
The charges stem from a years-long operation allegedly run by Jose Malagon Castro, a Mexican national who brazenly operated three grocery stores in Kentucky as fronts for laundering dirty cartel cash, according to the Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Kentucky.
His employees—Yeimi, Kenia, and Kelin Hernandez Barahona (all Honduran nationals) and Suri Rosmeri Hernandez Del Cid (from Guatemala)—allegedly helped wire drug proceeds back to Mexico, fueling the cartels that profit off America’s open borders.
According to the indictment, between January 2020 and December 2024, these foreign nationals engaged in an elaborate conspiracy to conduct millions of dollars’ worth of financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature, location, and source of cartel drug money.
The operation not only violated federal and state reporting laws but also actively undermined public safety in Kentucky.
But the lawlessness didn’t end there. On December 4, 2024, Jose Malagon Castro—an illegal alien—was caught illegally possessing a dangerous stockpile of firearms, including a .357 magnum revolver, multiple shotguns, and rifles. Despite being prohibited from owning any weapons, Malagon Castro’s arsenal was expansive.
Of the seven defendants, five—Jose Malagon Castro, Yeimi Hernandez Barahona, Kelin Hernandez Barahona, Suri Rosmeri Hernandez Del Cid, and Jose Martin Romero—have already been arrested and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Kenia Hernandez Barahona and Vanessa Avila Galaviz remain on the run, with warrants out for their arrests.
If convicted, the defendants face staggering maximum sentences—475 years for Malagon Castro and 460 years for his co-conspirators—reflecting the severity of their crimes.
Federal authorities are also seeking the forfeiture of over half a million dollars seized during the investigation.
There is no parole in the federal system, ensuring that if justice is served, these individuals will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
WATCH:
NEW: 7 Illegal Aliens indicted, 5 arrested in Louisville for narcotics trafficking & money laundering millions in drug money to Mexico; fueling prostitution extortion & murder.
Every day spent litigating the rights of criminal aliens instead of deporting is killing Americans. pic.twitter.com/rP8GEPQwJi
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) April 28, 2025
