A Colombian money laundering leader who moved drug proceeds across the United States, Mexico, and Colombia has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice.
Michael Nunez Daza, 49, also known as “Luky,” was ordered to forfeit $1.2 million after pleading guilty on Aug. 14 to one count of money laundering conspiracy.
Federal prosecutors said Nunez Daza ran a transnational laundering network that coordinated bulk cash pickups tied to Mexican drug trafficking organizations before moving the money through U.S. bank accounts and ultimately back to Colombia.
Eight-Month Operation Laundered More Than $1.2 Million
According to court documents, Nunez Daza’s organization collected bulk cash in several U.S. cities between 2017 and 2018. Couriers deposited the funds into accounts registered under the names of other individuals and companies before transferring the money to Colombia.
Within days of each U.S. deposit, equivalent amounts of Colombian pesos were delivered directly to Nunez Daza or his couriers in Cali.
In total, at least $1.2 million in drug proceeds was laundered over an eight-month period, DOJ officials said.
Nunez Daza had previously been convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was deported to Colombia in 2004.
Arrested in Colombia, Extradited to the U.S.
A federal grand jury indicted Nunez Daza in January 2023. Colombian authorities arrested him in 2025, and he was extradited to the United States in April of that year.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy announced the sentencing.
The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Colombian law enforcement to secure the arrest and extradition.
Part of Operation Take Back America
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a DOJ initiative targeting cartels, transnational criminal organizations, illegal immigration networks, and violent crime. The operation aligns resources from the Homeland Security Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods.