Leader of multi-million dollar international money laundering and drug trafficking ring sentenced to 20 years in prison

ATLANTA - Monica Dominguez Torres has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading a transnational criminal organization that operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area and laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds to Mexico.

"Dominguez Torres once operated a prolific criminal operation and lived a lavish lifestyle paid for by drug trafficking," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Now, thanks to the diligent work of our Homeland Security Task Force, Dominguez Torres's operation has been demolished, and she will spend the next two decades in prison paying for her crimes."

"This case highlights the evolving nature of drug trafficking organizations which is combining large-scale methamphetamine conversion with complex asset accumulation," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "Our agents followed the drugs and the money, leading to the seizure of millions in assets tied directly to criminal activity."

"We followed the money, and it led us straight to the heart of this criminal operation. HSI doesn't just chase shadows-we dismantle cartels and protect the homeland, one takedown at a time," said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. "Our success is built on strong partnerships and combining our unique capabilities with those of our federal, state, and local allies. Together, we deliver results that keep our communities safe."

"Methamphetamine conversion laboratories present an immediate and significant threat to communities across the United States," said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. "These clandestine operations endanger the public through toxic chemicals, fire hazards, and their ties to transnational criminal networks. The sentencing of Monica Dominguez Torres underscores that individuals who engage in this level of criminal activity will be held fully accountable. IRS Criminal Investigation, in coordination with our federal, state, and local partners, remains committed to conducting rigorous, collaborative investigations to dismantle these organizations."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Monica Dominguez Torres's organization operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories where liquid methamphetamine, obtained from sources in Mexico, was converted into hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine to be sold in the Atlanta area and elsewhere. Dominguez Torres and her associates used residences in the Atlanta area to collect and count millions of dollars in cash from these drug sales. The proceeds were laundered and sent to coconspirators in Mexico.

As part of the criminal operation, Dominguez Torres and her associates purchased millions of dollars' worth of real estate, vehicles, and luxury goods - all designed to conceal the illicit source of their wealth. The investigation revealed that Dominguez Torres purchased five separate residences, including a seven-bedroom waterfront home in Jonesboro, Georgia. Three of these residences were purchased with bulk cash brought directly to the transaction. Dominguez Torres and others also purchased nine luxury vehicles worth approximately $780,000. Dominguez Torres also spent lavishly on high-end goods, including nearly $400,000 at Louis Vuitton and more than $425,000 at Burberry over roughly four and a half years.

During the investigation, agents seized nearly $3.6 million in cash from Dominguez Torres's residences, stash locations, and associates. When agents arrested Dominguez Torres at her Conyers, Georgia home in February 2024, they seized more than $1.7 million in cash, five firearms, and three vehicles.

On April 22, 2026, Monica Dominguez Torres, 37, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. As part of her sentence, Dominguez Torres was ordered to forfeit $1,750.961.00, four houses, a Cadillac Escalade, and a firearm. Nine other members of Dominguez Torres's criminal organization including several members of her immediate family were charged as a result of the multi-year investigation. Federal agents with the DEA, HSI, and IRS partnered to conduct a thorough investigation of Dominguez Torres's operation that resulted in these federal charges and seizures.

In addition to Dominguez Torres's sentence, the following co-defendants have been sentenced for their roles in the money laundering conspiracy:

• Juan Contreras Pavon, 32, of Jonesboro, Georgia, a bulk-cash money launderer, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
• Dominguez Torres's husband, Bladimir Hernandez, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, a money launderer, was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by a year of supervised release.
• Dominguez Torres's son, Luis Contreras Dominguez, 23, of Riverdale, Georgia, a money launderer, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, followed by a year of supervised release.
• Dominguez Torres's nephew, Louis Joshua Dominguez, 24, of Stockbridge, Georgia, a money launderer, was sentenced to three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

Five other defendants are awaiting trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, with valuable assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, Georgia State Patrol, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, and the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. DeGenova and Nicholas L. Evert are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: https://www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.