A Skagit County business owner has been sentenced to prison for laundering money for a drug cartel.
The defendant reportedly hid and sent drug proceeds for a cartel that trafficked heroin and fentanyl.
According to the Department of Justice, Orlando Barajas, owner of “Tacos El Antojito” in Burlington, was sentenced Friday, January 17, to 18 months in prison after an extensive wiretap investigation revealed that he was laundering the drug proceeds by transmitting the funds to Mexico using the money remittance services offered at his store.
Court records say Barajas laundered tens of thousands of dollars, creating fake names to send the money and passing along the passwords needed so that the conspirators in Mexico could access the cash.