Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo Pleads Guilty to U.S. Sanctions Violation Linked to Los Cuinis

Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, the former wife and current partner of Los Cuinis leader Gerardo González Valencia, admitted in a U.S. federal court that she knowingly violated the Kingpin Act. She used more than $504,000 of proceeds from the Mexican cartel’s drug operations to pay her son’s tuition at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, despite being listed as a Specially Designated National by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 2015.

The Department of Justice announced that Amaral faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million, with sentencing set for 2 December. Federal prosecutors highlighted the “deliberate” nature of the scheme, citing statements from Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Tysen Duva. The case follows a 2023 life‑sentence conviction of González Valencia for a large‑scale cocaine conspiracy and a recent $1.72 million settlement between OFAC and IMG Academy over the academy’s involvement with sanctioned individuals.

The ruling underscores U.S. efforts to disrupt the financial networks of Los Cuinis, the economic arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which was designated a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.