Cartel Leaderâs E Wife Used Drug Money for Childâs Elite School
(Bloomberg) -- Lea en español The e wife of the leader of a Mexican drug cartel pleaded guilty to using more than $500,000 in drug
(Bloomberg) -- Lea en español The e wife of the leader of a Mexican drug cartel pleaded guilty to using more than $500,000 in drug money to pay for her childâs tuition at an exclusive private school and athletic training facility in Florida. Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arevalo pleaded guilty to violating an American law that prohibits people associated with drug trafficking from engaging in financial transactions within the US, the Justice Department said in a statement Tuesday. The department said her e husband ran the drug trafficking organization known as Los Cuinis.
Amaral Arevalo paid $504,497 for her child to attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the department said. The school, which describes itself on its website as âthe worldâs leading sports education brand,â previously reached a $1.72 million settlement with the US Office of Foreign Assets Control for entering into yearly tuition agreements with people with ties to a Mexican drug cartel. Amaral Arevaloâs e husband and current partner is Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, who was sentenced to life in prison for distributing large quantities of cocaine to be imported into the US.
âWendy Dalaithy Amaral Arevalo willfully violated US counternarcotic sanctions by funneling over half a million dollars in illicit drug proceeds as tuition payments,â said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Departmentâs criminal division. A lawyer for Amaral Arevalo couldnât be immediately identified. She faces as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of $10 million when she is sentenced in December. Indictments against cartel members and even some Mexican government officials have roiled relations between the US and its southern neighbor. The cases have forced President Claudia Sheinbaum to balance demands by Donald Trumpâs administration to prove she is committed to the fight against drug trafficking while still showing that she wonât simply cave to US demands.
Earlier this month, Mexican drug lord Ismael âEl Mayoâ Zambada Garcia was sentenced to life in prison for his role in running the violent Sinaloa cartel, ordering the murder of scores of people and importing massive amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and heroin into the US. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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