This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two Utah sisters have been accused of laundering an estimated $1 million for drug dealers who distributed methamphetamine and heroin in the Salt Lake Valley.
An indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury and unsealed Friday alleges 41-year-old Rosa Albina Rodriguez and 35-year-old Yadira Rodriguez conspired to commit money laundering for Mexican drug trafficking organizations from approximately January 2014 until early this month.
According to the charges, the money was sent from Utah to Mexico through two money services businesses owned by Rosa Rodriguez, Happy Travel in West Valley City, and Harry Travel 2 in Salt Lake City.
Rosa Rodriguez, the primary operator of the West Valley City location, and Yadira Rodriguez, who operated the Salt Lake City location, allegedly transferred the money under fictitious names.
In addition, the sisters sent the money in amounts small enough to avoid having to provide identification information and spaced out the transactions over several days when they received large amounts of cash from a drug trafficker, the charges allege.
An agent with IRS Criminal Investigation says in a court document that the money transfer patterns and intercepted communications demonstrate the Rodriguez sisters knew the funds involved came from an illegal source.
The sisters were arrested last week. Yadira Rodriguez was released pending further court proceedings; Rosa Rodriguez is still in custody and scheduled to appear at a detention hearing on Thursday.
The DEA Metro Narcotics Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service also are investigating the case.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC