PORTLAND, Ore.—The owner and operator of La Popular, a money service business with locations in Oregon and Washington, was arraigned in federal court today after she was charged with laundering drug proceeds.
Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes, 39, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with money laundering.
According to court documents, between 2021 and 2024, Barrera Orantes is alleged to have accepted cash from drug proceeds and wired the funds through La Popular stores in Oregon and Washington. In return, Barrera Orantes charged a ten percent commission. Barrera Orantes is further alleged to have worked with others to divide large sums of money into several smaller transactions and used fictitious sender information to conceal her money laundering activities. Financial records indicate that Barrera Orantes transferred more than $89 million through her La Popular stores, including $18.5 million to regions in Mexico and Honduras that are associated with drug trafficking organizations.
“This investigation has revealed the pivotal role that money service businesses play in laundering the enormous proceeds of trafficking illegal drugs in our community,” said Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division for the District of Oregon. “The amount of dirty money allegedly flowing through these small businesses and back to Mexico and Honduras is truly staggering. We intend to hold accountable the operators of these businesses who profit by assisting drug trafficking organizations in laundering their proceeds.”
“Because crime is such a coordinated effort, it is critical that we respond in kind,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI specializes in fighting illicit financial activity, and we are proud to partner closely with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”
“Money laundering allows drug traffickers to thrive in the shadows, and by severing their cash flow we are striking at the very thing that incentivizes their illicit pursuits,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “By stopping those that try to conceal criminal profits, communities are protected from the violence, addiction, and instability caused by the drug trade.”
“The defendant in this case is suspected of providing financial support to overseas drug organizations under the guise of business transactions,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “These are serious allegations that cause significant harm to our communities. We will never tolerate individuals who profit from activities that support a drug epidemic that harms our citizens.”
On April 16, 2025, investigators executed federal search warrants at Barrera Orantes’ residence and three La Popular stores located in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Barrera Orantes was arrested in Beaverton without incident.
Barrera Orantes made her first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. She was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
If convicted, Barrera Orantes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, five years’ supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the money laundered.
This case is being investigated by the IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI, and the Westside Interagency Narcotics team. It is being prosecuted by Christopher L. Cardani and Julia Jarrett, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
The Westside Interagency Narcotics team is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and is composed of members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, FBI, HSI, and the Oregon National Guard. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Since 2018, IRS-CI has maintained a Third Party Money Laundering (3PML) Project. This project focuses on Complicit Money Service Businesses (MSB) working for Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations. The purpose of this project is to develop high-impact 3PML cases for IRS-CI and other agencies across the United States, by utilizing data analytics.
