A key member of a Chinese money-laundering network was charged with allegedly laundering tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced on Jan. 9.

Lin Yan, 41, of California, appeared in court in Cincinnati on Jan. 8 on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment of money laundering. He was indicted in November last year, and the indictment was unsealed on Thursday.

“Dismantling Chinese money laundering networks that support drug trafficking organizations is critical to achieve the mission of total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in a statement.

“Working with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate and prosecute the financial networks that fuel and profit from the illegal drug trade.”

According to a court document filed by prosecutors on Jan. 8, Lin, a Chinese national with U.S. citizenship, allegedly worked for Mexico-based drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel, from March 2022 to October 2024.

During this time, Lin operated in Mexico and allegedly returned tens of millions of dollars in profits from the sales of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in U.S. cities to Mexico. These cities included Cincinnati, Tulsa, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

Lin and his co-conspirators, some based in China, allegedly sent bulk cash from illicit drug sales to associates who used it to buy electronic goods, including cellphones, tablets, and laptops. The goods were then shipped to Lin’s co-conspirators in China, Hong Kong, and elsewhere.

After confirmation of receipt of the bulk cash, prosecutors said, Mexico-based drug traffickers would receive payments in either pesos or dollars in Mexico, minus a commission.

“[Lin’s] charges are based on his central role as a prolific money broker acting on behalf of Mexican drug trafficking organization,” the court document reads.

One of Lin’s money-laundering contracts, a ledger, showed roughly $27.4 million in bulk cash delivered across the United States in 2024, according to the court document. Prosecutors alleged that Lin earned over $1 million in commissions from those deliveries.

In the Southern District of Ohio, Lin allegedly arranged more than 40 money pickups totaling about $3.8 million.

In September 2024, Lin was allegedly asked to coordinate the pick-up of $270,000 of drug proceeds in Los Angeles, according to the court document.

During the more than two years working for the Mexican drug cartels, Lin “traveled extensively from Mexico,” to Asia, Europe, and South America.

“In other words, [Lin] had substantial financial resources and considerable experience to evade U.S. law enforcement,” the court document reads.

Lin allegedly used multiple phone numbers to carry out his scheme and different female nicknames, including “DiDi,” “Maria,” “Vitoria,” “Victoria,” “Monica,” and “Vivian,” to communicate with his co-conspirators.

According to court documents, Lin fled Southern California to Mexico in March 2022 after learning he was under federal investigation for money laundering in the Southern District of California. He did not return to the United States until Oct. 14, 2024, when he was expelled to Miami, Florida, after traveling from Mexico to the Dominican Republic.

Upon arrival in Florida, Lin was arrested on an indictment from the Southern District of California charging him with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Lin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on July 9, 2025. Since then, Lin has remained in custody.

“Without money launderers, drug cartels are stuck with dirty money they can’t use,” Dominick S. Gerace II, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said in a statement.

“These profiteers help facilitate the distribution of deadly drugs into our communities and will be held accountable as if they trafficked the drugs themselves.”

If convicted, Lin faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Lin’s lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment by publication time.