A 53 year old Costa Rican, Elías Alberto Quirós Benavides, is facing serious allegations from the United States for his alleged role in the Sinaloa Cartel and Beltrán Leyva group’s financial operations.
U.S. authorities accuse him of leading a sophisticated cryptocurrency-based money laundering network, transferring cartel funds internationally without using regulated banking systems.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Quirós Benavides with conspiracy to commit money laundering, alongside other individuals linked to Mexican cartels and narcoterrorism.
The charges stem from a California-based investigation targeting the Beltrán Leyva faction, a group that split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2008 but continues to collaborate on financial logistics.
Quirós Benavides allegedly used virtual currencies to obscure the flow of illicit funds, a growing tactic among cartels.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) began investigating Quirós Benavides three years ago after a U.S. agency, likely the DEA, requested information about his activities.
The OIJ confirmed his active involvement in money laundering, leading to a parallel case in Costa Rica. In recent raids near the Nicaraguan border, authorities targeted a property used for renting rooms, arresting four men and one woman connected to drug trafficking and money laundering.
Seized assets included luxury vehicles, jet skis, and high-value items, though Quirós Benavides remains at large.