Former Lawyer of CJNG Boss Who Was Extradited From Uruguay Survives Assassination Attempt

"MX" for Borderland Beat

Fabiana González Raggio

Lawyer Fabiana González Raggio, who defended Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, survived an assassination attempt earlier this month. The attack occurred in Montevideo, Uruguay, when two unidentified gunmen shot at Gonzalez Raggio, her mother-in-law and her nephew as they were walking through a neighborhood. Gonzalez Raggio's mother-in-law was shot twice on her head and back.

Witnesses claim to have seen the gunmen run from the scene and get into a getaway vehicle. Security cameras in the area were analyzed by the police to see if they could identify the attackers. Neighbors confirmed to the police that the two men were "circling the block" before carrying out the attack.

CJNG boss González Valencia was arrested in Uruguay in 2016 for running a multi-million dollar money laundering network. During his time in Uruguayan custody, officials worried he would escape and kept him under heavy security. Last month, after several years of fighting for his release and safe return to Mexico, González Valencia was extradited to the U.S. to face his outstanding drug charges.

González Raggio said in an interview that she did not believe she was targeted for any of her ongoing cases. However, she gave no mention to her former client Gonzalez Valencia. She provided him with legal assistance when the CJNG boss was first arrested in Uruguay in 2016.

The police said that would-be assassins were directly targeting González Raggio. "This was an attack directly to her, no doubt", a police source told reporters. However, some investigators said that it may have been a failed robbery attempt.

Background

Gerardo González Valencia is the brother of Mexican drug lord Abigael González Valencia ("El Cuini"), who headed the CJNG and its financial branch, 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.

CJNG boss Gerardo González Valencia, who was arrested in Uruguay

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 21 April 2016, and imprisoned for money laundering charges.

Gonzalez Valencia's wife Amaral Arevalo was not in Uruguay when he was arrested. She had left to Guadalajara, Jalisco, in early 2016, but planned to return to Uruguay after two months. The reason for her return is still unclear, but some sources said that she had return to Mexico to take care of some legal issues.

Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, wife of the CJNG boss Gerardo González Valencia

Two days after Gonzalez Valencia's arrest, Amaral Arévalo was arrested by anti-narcotics agents at the Carrasco International Airport after returning from Mexico. She said she had returned to Uruguay to pick up her three children and take them to Guadalajara.

Lawyer González Raggio became her personal attorney. She was able to secure her release in July, and Amaral Arévalo was given a US$25,000 fine and a 6-month travel permit to come in and out of Uruguay. Her defense stated that Amaral Arévalo would not flee indefinitely because her children were in Mexico and her husband and father (Héctor Amaral Padilla) were imprisoned in Uruguay.

On May 2020, González Valencia was extradited to the U.S. to face his drug trafficking charges.

Sources: RadioMontecarlo; El Observador; El Pais; Subrayado; Union Jalisco

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.