Alleged Top Launderer for Drug Cartel Arrested

Soldiers in Tijuana have arrested a woman accused of laundering billions of dollars in drug profits for one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels, prosecutors said.

Ivonne Soto Vega, described by authorities as the chief money launderer and top financier for the ruthless Arellano Felix drug smuggling organization, was arrested Wednesday night, according to a statement released by federal prosecutors.

Police say Soto and her associates used dozens of currency exchange houses on both sides of California’s border with Mexico to hide enormous sums of drug money from Mexican and U.S. authorities.