Brazil Extradites "El Chepa", A Leader Of Los Cuinis & Ally Of The CJNG, To The US

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On November 12, the US announced that José González Valencia, an alleged member of Los Cuinis which is considered to be a financial arm of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), was extradited from Brazil to the United States on November 10, 2021.

The United States’ Department of Justice released a statement, which read in part: 

A Mexican national was extradited from Brazil to the United States on Nov. 10 to face international drug trafficking charges [...] arrived in the United States on Wednesday and made his initial court appearance yesterday in Washington, D.C. Superior Court. He is detained pending his appearance on Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather in D.C. District Court.

According to court documents, beginning in as early as 2006, Gonzalez-Valencia conspired with others to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from a foreign country. According to court documents, Gonzalez-Valencia is alleged to be a high-ranking leader of the Los Cuinis drug-trafficking organization (DTO), which is based in Jalisco State in Mexico. Los Cuinis is closely aligned with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). Together, Los Cuinis and CJNG form one of the largest, most dangerous, and prolific drug cartels in Mexico. They have been and continue to be responsible for trafficking ton quantities of illegal drugs into the United States and employing extreme violence to further that objective. The close alliance between Los Cuinis and CJNG is strengthened by familial ties between the criminal organizations: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka Mencho, the leader of CJNG, is married to Rosalinda Gonzalez-Valencia, who is the defendant’s sister. 

Gonzalez-Valencia is charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it will be unlawfully imported to the United States. If convicted, Gonzalez-Valencia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of ‘Operation Stir the Pot,’ which was supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division is investigating with the assistance of DEA Brasilia.       

Background

As written by MX in a previous Borderland Beat story, José González Valencia, also known by his alias “El Chepa”, “Camarón” (English: Shrimp), and “Santy”, is part of a large clan of at least 18 siblings who are associated with the Milenio Cartel. 

According to the Center for Research and National Security (CISEN), Mexico’s intelligence agency, González Valencia’s primary role was managing the financial operations of the CJNG. Additionally he contributed to managing the group’s alliances with other criminal networks, such as ones located in Asia and Europe. CISEN also alleged that González Valencia managed the CJNG’s various relationships with arms traffickers in both the United States and Central America.

González Valencia first captured the attention of Mexican officials in 2005 when he was nearly killed at a cockfighting event in Tonala, Jalisco. Armed men stormed the arena and attacked the spectators with AK-47s and grenades. Their intended targets were members of the Milenio Cartel, and the suspected assailants were members of Los Zetas.

Four people were killed and twenty-eight more were injured, including González Valencia (who was shot in the arm) and Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, who is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”). When security forces arrived at the scene, they discovered that several of the cockfighting attendees were linked to the Milenio Cartel and that they were armed. However, the Government of Jalisco did not make any arrests at the scene. González Valencia was treated at a hospital and was then allowed to return home.

His Time in Bolivia

When the CJNG was formed, Gonzalez Valencia played a key role under his brother Abigael (“El Cuini)” and his brother-in-law, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”. After Abigael’s capture in 2015, José Gonzalez Valencia fled to Bolivia in order to avoid being captured by government authorities. 

In September 2015, González Valencia flew into Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia from Peru. He entered the country using a Mexican passport with the fake name “Jafett Arias Becerra”. According to Bolivia’s General Directorate of Migration (DIGEMIG), González Valencia’s passport was official and had all the international security features in place.

González Valencia was able to apply for one-year temporary residency in Bolivia and obtained a foreigner ID card from the General Service of Personal Identification (SEGIP). He was able to get temporary residency through the sponsorship of a Bolivian national who González Valencia was close to and who agreed to financially support him. 

On March 22, 2017, González Valencia began the application process to extend his one-year temporary residency to a two-year residency that included work eligibility, all while utilizing his fake name. His two-year residency was later approved.

González Valencia was able to enter the country because Interpol had not issued a red alert against the name “Jafett Arias Becerra”. During his time in Bolivia, the CJNG reportedly laundered money at the Asociación Cruceña de Fútbol, a Bolivian football league. .

Arrest in Brazil 

Sometime in December, José Gonzalez Valencia contacted his close family and told them he wanted to spend the holiday season with them in Brazil. His wife, child and close friends made plans to meet up with José and stay through the New Year, until January 3, 2018. José and his family rented a beach house in Taíba. The home was rented through the use of a straw person who was unrelated and unaffiliated with Los Cuinis. 

On December 22, 2017, he landed at the Pinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport. He told customs officers he was visiting as a tourist, when asked. According to the Brazilian police, José was immediately identified as the wanted Los Cuinis member during his customs check in, but they decided not to approach him at the airport and instead they chose to follow him closely, surveilling his every step. 

On December 27, 2017, Gonzalez Valencia was arrested outside the beach resort area where he was staying. He was sent to the headquarters of the Federal Police of Brazil in Fortaleza, Ceará, where officials confirmed that there was a pending arrest warrant and extradition request against him from the United States. None of the people who were accompanying him when he was arrested were apprehended by the police because they had no pending arrest warrants.

González Valencia’s team of defense lawyers requested that the extradition process be held in secret, arguing that this was necessary in order to protect both their client and his family. 

On January 23, 2018, Brazilian authorities rejected a motion to carry out the extradition process against González Valencia in secret. Judge Carmen Lucia Antunes said they would not make an exception for them because publicity was part of the judicial process.

On December 11, 2018, minister José Celso de Mello Filho approved his extradition process.

Note: This article includes excerpts from the Wikipedia article of José González Valencia, which was published by Borderland Beat reporter “MX” in July 2018. Over 60 sources were used for its creation.

Sources: US DOJ Press Release, Proceso, Milenio, Diario de Nordeste