Abigael González Valencia (Spanish pronunciation: [aβiɣaˈel ɣonˈsales βaˈlensja]; born October 18, 1972), commonly referred to by his alias El Cuini (Spanish pronunciation: [el ˈkwini]), is a Mexican suspected drug lord and former leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco.

Along with his brother-in-law Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (alias "El Mencho"), one of Mexico's most-wanted men, González Valencia reportedly coordinated international drug trafficking operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

He worked for the Milenio Cartel in the 1990s, and eventually formed part of the original group that founded the CJNG and Los Cuinis in the 2010s.

Prior to González Valencia's arrest, Los Cuinis was regarded by government sources as one of Mexico's and the world's wealthiest drug trafficking organizations.

[3][9] In the 1980s, he immigrated illegally to the U.S. and settled in California, where he operated a drug distribution ring with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (alias "El Mencho").

In Jalisco, the Valencia family joined forces with a Sinaloa Cartel bloc headed by Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, a high-ranking leader and ally of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, another Sinaloan drug lord.

Under Coronel, González Valencia and Oseguera Cervantes held leadership positions and helped their criminal group expand to southeastern Mexico, particularly in the states of Chiapas, Campeche, and Yucatán.

[16][14] On October 28, 2009, Óscar Orlando Nava Valencia (alias "El Lobo"), a high-ranking leader of the Milenio Cartel, was arrested.

The leadership voids left from their arrests and/or deaths caused the Milenio Cartel to experience an internal power struggle as the remaining leaders tried to take control of the criminal group.

[25] On the other hand, several Mexican sources stated that Los Cuinis acted as a financial and money laundering bloc under the CJNG.

[d][27] When he was arrested, sources identified González Valencia as a "plaza boss" (regional leader) of the CJNG and top financial operator.

He also established relationships with Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Peruvian drug groups and guerrillas, particularly the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), to provide him with cocaine and assist him in his endeavors overseas.

[34] In 2015, a high-profile anonymous official in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spoke to a Mexican investigative newspaper on the role of Los Cuinis in the international market.

[e] The source attributed Los Cuinis' success to their control of the cocaine and methamphetamine trade in Europe and Asia, since foreign authorities encountered difficulties in stopping the flow of narcotics or seizing the drug proceeds that the Valencia clan receives from the importations.

The source also stated that it is difficult to infiltrate the inner circles of Los Cuinis through undercover informants because the Valencia clan is wary of outsiders.

[34] On February 28, 2015, González Valencia was arrested in a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, following a joint operation led by the Federal Police, the National Security Commission (CNS), and the Office of the General Prosecutor (PGR).

[12][40] In 2007, the DEA discovered that González Valencia was involved in another international smuggling operations that imported at least 5 kg (11 lb) of cocaine into the U.S. from Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.

[41][42] In 2013, he was allegedly involved in two methamphetamine and cocaine shipments respectively from Mexico to the U.S.[12][43] The following year, however, DEA investigators noticed a radical shift in the modus operandi of the CJNG and Los Cuinis; they discovered that González Valencia was responsible for coordinating a drug smuggling operation from overseas.

[48][49] In December 2015, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned another close associate of González Valencia, Naim Libien Tella, along with 4 other business entities.

[f][51] On April 4, 2016, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned 7 companies linked to González Valencia through the Kingpin Act in an attempt to disrupt Los Cuinis' business network.

The individuals were Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, businessman Fabián Felipe Vera López, attorney María Teresa Quintana Navarro, and five of González Valencia's siblings: Arnulfo, Édgar Edén, Elvis, Marisa Ivette, and Noemí.

They believe that the González Valencia created these two new property management firms to circumvent the sanctions imposed and conceal their money laundering interests.

[55] On September 14, 2017, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned four Mexican companies and three people linked to González Valencia, Los Cuinis, and the CJNG.

Abouzaid El Bayeh worked at the first sushi restaurant, was involved with Unomásuno, and owns a Guadalajara pharmaceutical distributor and the two cake shops.

The PGR confirmed that they were working with a State of Mexico court to formalize an extradition process and send González Valencia to the U.S., where he is wanted for drug trafficking.

A week earlier, a video circulated on social media that the CJNG was planning to help González Valencia escape from prison.

[70][71] On January 19, 2019, a tribunal court approved González Valencia's writ of amparo from December 2016, effectively stopping any extradition efforts against him.