Sinaloa Cartel Leader’s Wife Sentenced to 14 Years in San Diego

The case targets a Valenzuela-run network that prosecutors call one of the largest cocaine importers into the United States.

Overview

The court ordered forfeiture of more than $5 million in watches, jewelry, vehicles and cash seized from her residence.
Prosecutors said she became a trusted, high-ranking supervisor after her husband’s 2020 arrest and worked to secure illegal assets.
Her defense team argued in sentencing papers that she did not direct trafficking and that her involvement was reactive and financially driven.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the Valenzuela Transnational Criminal Organization trafficked cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, and moved firearms and drug proceeds into Mexico.
Her husband, Jorge Alberto Valenzuela-Valenzuela, has pleaded guilty and remains in custody pending sentencing in 2026.