How an Argentine Taxi Driver Met Los Cuinis/CJNG Leader

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat (formerly "MX")

Background: Below is a two-part piece on the latest developments of the case against Gerardo González Valencia, who is in custody in Uruguay since 2016 for money laundering.

He is suspected of being involved with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Los Cuinis, and of running a multi-million dollar money laundering scheme in South America.

Argentina is now actively pursuing those who assisted González Valencia while he was in Argentina between 2007–2013. This news was released a few weeks ago in Argentina.

How an Argentine taxi driver meet Los Cuinis/CJNG leader

Marcelo Arias was driving his taxi through "Galerías Pacífico" in Buenos Aires in 2008. The economic crisis had returned many customers to the subway and buses, but Arias knew that in Córdoba and Florida, two parts of downtown Buenos Aires, he could still get good trips. He never imagined that what began as a usual drive of two passengers would end with a case against him with penalties of between 5 years and 10 years in prison. Those who got in the car with him that day were two relatives of Gerardo González Valencia, a high-ranking member of "Los Cuinis", the financial arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). They were the parents of his wife Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo.

On April 17, 2019, Arias admitted in front of Morón judge Néstor Barral that he was the chauffeur of González Valencia. Arias was able to describe his boss' personality: "Gerardo was a serious man, of few words, because of his appearance one could tell he was an important person and was well off. I worked with him for a while until he told me that he would leave the country, but asked me to pick several Mexican nationals when he called."

And so he did: Arias first took Francisco Marzio Medina González from the Ezeiza International Airport to one of the Le Parc towers of Puerto Madero; then he did the same with Pedro Merced Medina Lizarraga; and also with Julio César Alegre Ortega. These men were Mexican nationals.

Everything ended up changing for Arias when the three Mexicans offered him, in addition to continuing to be his driver, to work in the store ("Corner, mi lugar", pictured below) they opened in Puerto Madero.

But not only that: Francisco Marzio asked Arias to use him as a frontman to buy two cars - a Chevrolet Astra and a Ford Ecosport - because he did not have the necessary documentation in Argentina to do this. He did the same with a cell phone. The taxi driver got into deeper waters when the Mexicans used the legal domicile of the Argentine to register the company, Círculo Internacional SA, on 4 December 2008.

 

CJNG store  in Puerto Madero.

Mexicans operated in Puerto Madero unnoticed until March 10, 2009, when they were involved in a traffic accident with Arias' Chevrolet Astra. The Argentine police asked for their vehicle documentation, but one of the Mexicans snapped: "In my country they would already be dead." That threat led to the current investigation carried out by Judge Barral and federal prosecutor Sebastián Basso.

It was quickly determined that the car in which they were going was in the name of an Argentine (Arias), who lived in Ituzaingó. That is why the case moved to Morón. As the case progressed, more interesting data was gathered: the Mexicans had entered Argentina at the end of 2008. They declared they were visiting as tourist, but the first thing they did was travel to La Plata to register the company Círculo Internacional S.A.

The analysis of their phones also provided interesting information. The DEA determined that from the telephone of one of the Mexicans (Medina Lizarraga), communications had been made to a Mexican connected to the Sinaloa Cartel and another belonging to a person investigated in Los Angeles, California, for laundering drug money.

Argentina cracks down on businessman

Oscar Calvete Souza, an Argentine businessman in his sixties, went to court on 15 March 2019. He is being investigated for his alleged financial ties to Los Cuinis and the CJNG. Numerous witnesses pointed to Calvete as one of the most trusted people of the Mexicans in Argentina, especially Gerardo González Valencia, whom he met when he lived in Mexico.

As for Calvete, before Judge Barral and prosecutor Sebastian Basso, he introduced himself as a simple commercial consultant. To legally defend himself, he hired Hugo Pinto as a lawyer; Pinto is famously known in Argentina for handling controversial cases involving powerful figures.

An important lawyer for an important accusation: Calvete is accused of laundering millions of dollars from international drug trafficking. The money reportedly reached him through three Santander Río bank accounts via bank drafts or cash deposits. The money was then laundered through drug stores (e.g. "Corner, mi lugar").

'Quincho Grande', Gerado's mansion in Argentina 

The ex-Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions, announced on October 16, 2017 that "the Jalisco Cartel Nueva Generación is one of the five most dangerous transnational criminal organizations on the face of the Earth" along with the Sinaloa cartel, the Clan del Golfo, Mara Salvatrucha 13 and Hezbollah.

The accuser pointed out: "The CJNG was founded only nine years ago, but already has a presence in 75% of Mexico, they traffic at least 5,000 kilos of cocaine and 5,000 kilos of methamphetamine to our country per month."

Sources: TN.Com.AR Clarin  Subrayado