COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Two brothers out of Sumter and a third man out of Buford, Georgia are facing federal charges of money laundering.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina Brook Andrews joined law enforcement from York, Richland, Sumter, and Charleston counties for the announcement.
“Here in our own backyard, the defendants in this case successfully laundered over $30 million in illegal drug proceeds. They offered their services to drug dealers across the southeast from whom they would purchase large amounts of cash. They would then use those proceeds to purchase and ship electronics to destinations in china and the middle east and use those transactions to conceal the illegal source of their funds,” says Andrews.
Two brothers out of Sumter — 28-year-old Nassir Ullah, 32-year-old Naim Ullah, and 49-year-old Puquan Huang out of Buford, Georgia operated two storefronts in Sumter to help hide their scheme. The attorney’s office would not disclose the names of those businesses.
“The defendants actions were both local and international. They dealt in U.S. currency and Chinese currency. Their sophistication presented a challenge to law enforcement but I’m proud to say it’s a challenge we have overcome,” says Andrews.
Mike Tooley, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, says the investigation into two Mexican drug cartels in September of 2024 (Cartel Jalisco and the Sinaloa Cartel) led to the discovery of the money laundering scheme, which involved drugs transported into the U.S. from Mexico.
“Over the course of this investigation, agents identified a large scale and complex money laundering network operating throughout SC and elsewhere to launder millions of dollars of drug proceeds which have been traced to the sale of multi kilogram quantities of both fentanyl and cocaine as well as heroine and marijuana,” says Tooley.
If convicted, the three men face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“If you traffic fentanyl cocaine, or other illicit narcotics and if you launder illegal drug proceeds or work with a foreign terrorist drug organization or drug cartel, we will hold you accountable,” Tooley says.
