Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, ex-wife and current partner of Gerardo González Valencia, one of the leaders of Los Cuinis, pleaded guilty in the United States to violating the Kingpin Act after using more than $500,000 from drug trafficking to pay for her son's education at an exclusive academy in Florida.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Amaral Arévalo admitted to having carried out prohibited financial transactions by channeling $504,497 dollars to cover her son's tuition at IMG Academy, located in Bradenton, Florida, despite the fact that since 2015 she had been sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for her links to the Los Cuinis criminal organization.
The US authorities indicated that the accused signed contracts with the educational institution and managed tuition payments, actions that constitute a deliberate violation of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, known as the Kingpin Act, which prohibits sanctioned persons from carrying out operations within the US financial system.
The Cuinis are considered the financial arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Gerardo González Valencia was sentenced in 2023 to life imprisonment in the United States for conspiracy to traffic cocaine and is the brother of Abigael González Valencia, alias “El Cuini”, as well as Rosalinda González Valencia, wife of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”.
The case also put IMG Academy itself under scrutiny. In February of this year, OFAC reached an agreement for $1.72 million with the educational institution after determining that it maintained business relationships and received payments from people included on the list of those sanctioned for drug trafficking, including Amaral Arévalo.
According to authorities, the academy processed dozens of payments related to the education of children of individuals linked to Mexican cartels.
After accepting the charges, Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. The hearing to hear his sentence was scheduled for December 2.
The director of the DEA, Terrance C. Cole, stated that the defendant used an educational institution “as a vehicle to channel drug trafficking profits,” which, he said, evidences the reach of the CJNG's financial networks within the United States.
