BALTIMORE, MD—Federal agents have charged 17 people in Maryland and other states for their alleged roles in a complex money laundering scheme and illegal marijuana distribution network that led to the seizure of more than $6 million and 2,000 pounds of marijuana.

The Department of Justice announced this week that a Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security investigation that began in March 2023 with two separate non-fatal shootings of one person in Baltimore has revealed a network of individuals laundering millions of dollars from the distribution of large quantities of marijuana.

The Indictment charges the following individuals in count one with Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering, and in count two with Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances: Qihai Tao; Michael Micklos; Can Xu; Praveen Morgan; Michael Tilmon, III; Emanuel Dukes; Steven Mack; William Brown, III; Malik Bridgers; David Hilliard; Derian Green; Huayi Zhong; Zebin Liu; Chunbing Qin; Peng Huang; Isaac Huynh, and Li Chen.

The agency said the network includes “large-scale launderers operating a Chinese Money Laundering Organization (MLO) in New York City and drug traffickers operating in Maryland, sending large quantities of bulk cash proceeds from Maryland to other states, including New York, New Jersey, and Oregon to obtain further shipments of marijuana and to conceal the source of the proceeds.”

All 17 individuals are charged in U.S. District Court in Baltimore with conspiracy to engage in money laundering and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Two are also charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Federal prosecutors said the maximum penalty for conspiracy to engage in money laundering is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million per defendant.

The DEA’s Washington Division and Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore Field Office with support from the Baltimore County Police Department and DEA offices in New Jersey, New York, Washington, and Oregon conducted the investigation.

“When violence erupts in our communities, we will track it down to its core. This investigation demonstrates how organized international money laundering drives gun violence and illegal drug trafficking,” U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek Barron said in a statement. “Through the coordinated efforts of our OCDETF Strike Force and law enforcement partners, our highest priority is protecting the nation’s safety and security.”

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels