A Chinese national plead guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges Tuesday.
Court documents cited in the press release stated that Xu smuggled cocaine into the United States, using contacts in Latin America and a sophisticated transportation network that included access to airstrips, airports, armored cars, couriers, and associates. Xu used this network to smuggle multi-kilogram loads of cocaine into the country.
Xu and his associates trafficked more than 450 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. They also laundered more than $22 million in profits from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl on behalf of drug trafficking organizations. To do this, they utilized a variety of methods to conceal the ill-gotten gains, including transferring money as cryptocurrency, trade-based money laundering, and encrypted communications platforms.
On July 17, 2025, Xu and his associates arranged the transportation of a multi-kilo shipment of cocaine out of Cali, Colombia, to a buyer who claimed to represent the Jalisco Cartel. He was arrested the same day in Guatemala City, Guatemala, at the request of U.S. authorities. He was extradited on Jan. 30.
Xu is charged with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, conspiring to launder money derived from drug trafficking, and providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum life sentence. He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 15.
The case was investigated by the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA’s offices in Guatemala and Colombia; the Colombian National Police; and the Guatemalan National Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala aided law enforcement in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition.
The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentencing of 40-year-old Xin Liu on Tuesday. Liu is a Chinese national residing in the United States with an H-1B visa. She attempted to collect more than $95,000 in money scammed out of senior citizens throughout the state.
According to court records, Liu acted as a bagwoman for an elder fraud scheme in the state. For a period of 8 days between July 22 and 30, 2025, Liu drove to six different locations throughout Florida, including an assisted living home in the city of Gainesville. While at these locations, she picked up money from elderly victims targeted by the scheme, including a resident at that facility. Liu attempted to steal more than $95,000 from the victims and was given a portion of the ill-gotten gains as payment.
Liu was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.