Arrests of 2 Cap 2 1/2-Year Probe of Drug Cartel

The capture of two men suspected of laundering money for Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel was the culmination of a 2 1/2-year undercover investigation during which the men delivered “large sums of cash” to agents pretending to be helping the ring, the FBI disclosed Wednesday.

Jorge Ignacio Restrepo Lopez, 36, and Julio Robolledo, 33, both of Colombia, were arrested aboard a yacht in international waters off Venezuela on charges contained in a 10-count indictment handed down Jan. 18 in Los Angeles.

The FBI said the men, described as “principal members” of the drug cartel’s money-laundering network, laundered “millions of dollars” from September, 1988, through last month and contacted the undercover agents in Los Angeles using “facsimile machines to provide instructions for the pickup and transfer of these large amounts of drug profits to Colombia.”

Authorities did not say how the men were lured onto the private yacht, where they were taken into custody Feb. 11.

They were transferred to a Coast Guard cutter at sea and taken to Puerto Rico, then transported to Los Angeles, where they were being held without bail pending an appearance before a federal magistrate today.

A series of federal and state agencies and military branches--including the Navy and the Coast Guard--assisted, the FBI said.

The men were charged with money laundering, conspiracy and aiding and abetting criminal activity.