News Desk · Enforcement

Brazilian man gets 12 years for managing a $30 million-plus laundering ring that moved drug cash

Ygor Fokin Saviolli was sentenced on 16 October 2026 to 12 years in prison for his role as a manager and supervisor in a group that the Justice Department says laundered more than $30 million, including drug trafficking proceeds.

EnforcementUS16 Oct 20262 min read

Ygor Fokin Saviolli, 35, a Brazilian national, was sentenced on 16 October 2026 to 12 years in prison for his role as a manager and supervisor in a money laundering organization, the US Justice Department said. The Justice Department says the defendants' guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit money laundering were accepted by the district court in June 2026. The Justice Department says the organization laundered more than $30 million in illicit proceeds, including the proceeds of drug trafficking.

According to the Justice Department, members of the organization arranged for US-based couriers to collect bulk cash proceeds from the sale of controlled substances and deposit the money at banks across the country. The aim was to hide the source of the cash and return the profits to drug suppliers outside the United States. Dozens of cash pickups were coordinated through WhatsApp message chains. The Justice Department says Saviolli provided upfront funds and oversaw the receipt and laundering of the cash.

Five co-defendants were sentenced on 24 September 2026: Gabriel Cezar Menezes, 29, to 94 months; Omar Aliperti De Mello Correa, 34, to 30 months; Leandro De Avila Goncalves, 43, to 24 months; and Joao Andrade De Mello, 29, and Tadeu Sebastiane Rabelo Alves Barbosa, 30, each to 12 months and one day. The Justice Department says Menezes acted as a facilitator who directed couriers, and that Correa, De Mello, Barbosa and Goncalves worked as couriers making pickups in cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Rochester and Tampa.

The FBI led the investigation, with help from the DEA's Rochester Resident Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Why it matters to AML professionals

Networks that collect drug cash in many cities and deposit it through couriers depend on bank accounts that accept the cash without questions. Branch staff and transaction monitoring teams who spot cash deposits that do not fit a customer's profile, often in several locations, are a key line of defence against this type of laundering.

Red flags in this case

Large or frequent cash deposits by a customer whose stated occupation or business does not generate cash
Cash deposits into one account made at branches in several different cities or states
Deposits followed soon after by outgoing transfers, often to accounts abroad
Several unrelated people depositing cash into the same account

If this landed in your queue

Map every cash deposit into the account by location, date and depositor to see whether several people or cities are involved
Compare the deposit volume with the customer's stated income, occupation and expected activity
Trace where the funds go after deposit, especially quick transfers out of the account or abroad
Document the pattern and escalate for a suspicious activity report decision under your institution's procedures

Key terms

Bulk cash: Large amounts of physical currency, often from crime, that criminals need to move or place into the banking system.
Courier (cash courier): A person paid to collect, carry or deposit cash for a laundering network, often with little knowledge of the wider scheme.
Conspiracy to commit money laundering: An agreement between two or more people to launder money; each member can be charged even if they handled only part of the scheme.

Interview angle

What would make you suspect that a customer's account is being used by a cash courier network?

Mention cash deposits in multiple cities or by multiple people, amounts that do not match the customer's profile, and fast onward transfers, then explain how you would document the pattern and escalate for a suspicious activity report decision.

Sources

US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs: Brazilian Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Managerial Role in Conspiracy to Launder Tens of Millions

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Every fact in AMLift News Desk stories comes from an official source: a regulator, court, government gazette or the company's own filing.