CJNG Leader Imprisoned in Uruguay Could Go Free After US Refuses to Accept Extradition Deal

"MX" for Borderland Beat

Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Gerardo González Valencia, who is imprisoned in Uruguay since 2016 for his money laundering activities, could go free after the U.S. government refused to accept the extradition deal proposed by the Uruguayan government. He is wanted in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

In February 2020, the Uruguayan government agreed to extradite González Valencia to the U.S. just as long as he did not face the death penalty or life imprisonment if found guilty. But U.S. authorities want to have the possibility to convict González Valencia of life imprisonment and have refused to accept the terms. Since González Valencia already fulfilled his money laundering sentence in Uruguay, it could be a matter of time before he is released.

Background

Gerardo González Valencia is the brother of Mexican drug lord Abigael González Valencia ("El Cuini"), who headed the CJNG and Los Cuinis. This criminal group has presence in Mexico, the U.S., Europe and Asia. González Valencia coordinated international money laundering schemes by using shell companies to purchase assets in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

His wife Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo was reportedly working with him on this large money laundering scheme when the couple moved from Mexico to Uruguay in 2011. He had millionaire properties and businesses in Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay.

The original documents of the investigation framing González Valencia were leaked in 2015 through the Panama Papers, where it detailed real estate transactions and industrial sector investments tied to him. After a multi-year investigation by Latin American officials and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, González Valencia was arrested in Montevideo in April 2016, and imprisoned for money laundering charges.

Extradition conditions

As reported by Borderland Beat, the Uruguayan government allowed the extradition of González Valencia under the following conditions:

(1) Delivery is deferred until the requested party (González Valencia) obtains his provisional release or definitive release in the case followed in Uruguay. This means that González Valencia will have to serve his sentence in Uruguay before being extradited to the U.S.

(2) González Valencia should not be tried or convicted for crimes other than those referred to in the extradition request, except for the cases set forth in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 13 of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Uruguay.

(3) No death penalty or life imprisonment should be issued against González Valencia.

CJNG leadership chart; Gerardo González Valencia pictured on the left side

Last week, the U.S. government agreed that González Valencia would not face double jeopardy and that he would not be sentenced to death. However, they did not agree with the life imprisonment clause. Uruguay does not have life imprisonment and thereby asked the U.S. to respect that when convicting González Valencia, but the U.S. does not to remove the possibility of convicting González Valencia for life. The U.S. government responded by saying that the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Uruguay does not say anything about life imprisonment.

Uruguayan officials Adriana Chamsarián and Luis Pacheco said that the U.S. government's response was justified because life imprisonment is not mentioned in the extradition treaty between both countries. However, they argued that this motion complicated the case because the Uruguayan government had explicitly said in February 2020 that González Valencia would only be extradited under the three conditions mentioned above.

González Valencia's defense issued an appeal requesting the Uruguayan government to take action. He has already fulfilled his money laundering sentence in Uruguay and requested to be released. Uruguay's Minister of Interior Jorge Larrañaga was interviewed after this news was made public and told reporters that he thought González Valencia's release was "unlikely" but still a possibility.

This week, a tribunal court in Uruguay rejected González Valencia's motion and sided with the U.S. government. However, González Valencia's lawyer Hector Dotta said he would send this appeal to Uruguay's Supreme Court for a final decision. To send González Valencia to the U.S., the Uruguayan government would have to rewrite the extradition request and give the U.S. government 30 days to complete his transfer.

Note: This article includes excerpts from the Wikipedia page of Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, which was published by Borderland Beat reporter "MX" in March 2017. It includes over 95 sources.