Former HSI Agent Accused of Stealing Drug Money

A former Homeland Security Investigations agent was accused of using his position to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars of drug money and then laundering the money through real estate transactions and foreign banks.

Tyrone Cedric Duren, 46, of San Diego, CA, faces several charges, including money laundering, bank fraud conspiracy, structuring financial transactions, and making false statements to federal agents. Duren’s wife, Jennifer Lynn Duren, 45, also faces charges of money laundering, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

While the grand jury indictment does not say how much money Duren allegedly stole, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is asking the couple to forfeit $2 million, along with their home in Bonsall, CA.

Authorities arrested the couple Nov. 30 at Los Angeles International Airport as they returned from their trip to Australia and New Zealand.

From 2002 to 2007, Duren worked as a California Highway Patrol officer. In 2008, he became a Homeland Security Investigations special agent and took a $31,000 pay cut.

At HSI, Duren worked in the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force which investigates drug trafficking organizations who smuggle illicit proceeds back to Mexico. Duren was involved in over 40 cash seizures totaling $20 million during his five years at HSI until he resigned in 2015.

“The evidence obtained during the investigation and detailed in the complaint, paints Duren as an intelligent but deceitful person, sophisticated in the art of concealing assets and engages in international travel to hide assets,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rapp wrote in a motion arguing for Duren’s detention. “He has used his position as a law enforcement agent for illegal financial gain to support himself and family with a lavish lifestyle.”

After pleading not guilty, the couple was released on bail.

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