Argentine Arraigned in Money Laundering Case
An Argentine gold trader suspected of laundering $500 million in cocaine proceeds for a Columbian drug cartel has pleaded not guilty to charges that he funneled the drug profits through Los Angeles jewelry wholesalers.
Raul Silvio Vivas, 39, was arraigned in U.S. District Court on Monday on conspiracy and drug charges contained in separate indictments alleging that he and 32 other individuals and a Miami corporation ran an operation described as the largest of its kind ever uncovered by U.S. authorities.
U.S. District Judge William D. Keller ordered Vivas held without bail. Vivas was extradited from an Uruguay jail Friday and flown to Los Angeles. He had been in custody since Feb. 22 when, at the request of the FBI, he was arrested by the Uruguay National Police.
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