Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, Cocaine Trafficking, District of Columbia 2023
High-Ranking Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty in DC Cocaine Conspiracy
A high-ranking member of a notorious international drug trafficking organization has pleaded guilty to his role in bringing thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States, officials announced today.
Jose Gonzalez-Valencia, also known as "Chepa," pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States.
According to court documents, Gonzalez-Valencia was a leader of the Los Cuinis, an international drug trafficking organization responsible for importing large quantities of cocaine from Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and elsewhere into the United States. The organization is closely aligned with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), one of the largest and most dangerous drug cartels in Mexico.
As part of his plea agreement, Gonzalez-Valencia is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in 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.
The case is the result of a long-term investigation by the DEA Los Angeles Field Division and is supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Gonzalez-Valencia from Brazil, where he was arrested in December 2017.
Gonzalez-Valencia's guilty plea is a significant blow to the Los Cuinis and CJNG, which are responsible for trafficking significant quantities of illegal drugs into the United States and employing extreme violence to further that objective. His brother, Abigael Gonzalez-Valencia, and brother-in-law, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "Mencho," are leaders of the organizations.
"Gonzalez Valencia worked with Los Cuinis and the CJNG to bring thousands of kilos of drugs into the United States," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "This case sends a clear message that the Criminal Division is committed to protecting our communities, dismantling the drug trafficking organizations that prey on them for profit, and holding traffickers like Gonzalez Valencia accountable."
Key Facts
- State: District of Columbia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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