Luis Radhames Cabral, a 36-year-old Dominican citizen residing in Hialeah, was arrested this Monday after being found with 756,595 dollars in cash inside his black Chevrolet Suburban SUV.
According to reports from local media, the money was found near block 4900 of Northwest 114th Avenue in Doral during a coordinated operation by federal and state authorities.
The arrest was part of a joint state and federal undercover investigation called Operation Empty Nest.
The money, consisting primarily of $20 bills, was vacuum-sealed and organized in what authorities describe as quick-count packages.
They were bundles of approximately 10,000 dollars secured with rubber bands, a common method for transporting illicit profits that allows for quick transactions and complicates financial tracking.
Along with the cash, packed in travel bags and a luxury shoulder bag, the agents also found a firearm.
According to the arrest report, Cabral acted as an agent of a money laundering organization responsible for transporting and delivering bulk drug trafficking profits in the form of U.S. currency.
His role within the network was to convert that cash into cryptocurrencies and transfer them to electronic wallets controlled by criminal organizations, thereby circumventing traditional financial monitoring systems.
The investigators observed Cabral receiving a duffel bag from an unidentified man who arrived in a gray Toyota Camry, and then transporting the containers to an apartment with another individual.
Neither Cabral nor his companion had a license to operate money services in Florida or at the federal level.
Background of the case
The investigation dates back to August 6, 2025, when agents detected unusual activities in the Doral area.
In the bail hearing, the prosecution stated that Cabral was involved in the laundering of over one million dollars on at least four separate occasions.
The accused himself admitted his involvement in the scheme.
Judge Mindy Glazer set a bail of $500,000 and imposed a Nebbia hold, a judicial mechanism that requires proving that the funds used for the bail come from legitimate sources and not from criminal activities.
In addition, he was ordered to surrender his passport. He remained detained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) until Tuesday, March 3.
Cabral faces charges of money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, operating as an unauthorized money transmitter, and conspiracy to operate as an unlicensed money transmitter, all involving amounts exceeding $100,000.
Doral, a city in Miami-Dade with direct access to the airport and a dense commercial network, has a documented history as a strategic point for money laundering operations linked to drug trafficking, which has made it a recurring hub for criminal organizations in South Florida.
Until the moment of the arrest, the authorities did not confirm other detainees in connection with the operation.
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