Rio Rancho Man Sentenced for Marijuana Trafficking
ALBUQUERQUE – Antonio Ruelas, 32, of Rio Rancho, N.M., was sentenced late yesterday afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 30 months of imprisonment based on his previously entered guilty plea to a marijuana trafficking conspiracy charge.
Ruelas will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
Ruelas is one of ten defendants charged as the result of a two-year investigation by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation into a drug trafficking organization led by Enrique Cavazos, 32, of Tijeras, N.M., that distributed high-grade marijuana throughout New Mexico and across the country.
The investigation revealed that the Cavazos drug trafficking organization cultivated and purchased high-grade marijuana in California, distributed the marijuana throughout the country, and laundered its drug proceeds through a number of businesses and bank accounts in New Mexico.
The indictment charged Ruelas with participating in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy that existed from at least Jan. 2008 through Nov. 2015, and operated in the District of New Mexico and elsewhere.
According to court filings, Enrique Cavazos operated a marijuana trafficking business by directing his co-conspirators to purchase large quantities of marijuana in California and distribute the marijuana in New Mexico and other destinations across the country.
The couple engaged in a money laundering conspiracy and used bank accounts in the names of several of their businesses, including a restaurant and a car dealership, to launder their drug proceeds.
The indictment was superseded in Aug. 2016, to add money laundering charges against three new defendants: Steven Becerra, Deborah Gutierrez, and Glen F. Lucero.
The superseding indictment also removed Felix Cavazos, Enrique Cavazos’s father, who passed away after the original indictment was filed, from the list of defendants.
Enrique Cavazos pled guilty on May 24, 2017, to marijuana trafficking and money laundering charges under a plea agreement that recommended a sentence within the range of 48 to 120 months of imprisonment.
The Cavazos’ plea agreements require the couple to forfeit the proceeds of their drug trafficking and money laundering activities, including real estate, vehicles, cash, weapons, and jewelry, which are valued at more than $1,883,500.
Nieto pled guilty on May 25, 2017, to possessing hashish oil with intent to distribute.
The remaining six defendants, who have entered not guilty pleas to the superseding indictment, are pending trial, which has yet to be scheduled.
Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation of this case was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Antonio Ruelas, Marijuana Trafficking Conspiracy Charge, New Mexico, 2023 – Defendant Antonio Ruelas, 32, of Rio Rancho, N.M., was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment based on his previously entered guilty plea to a marijuana trafficking conspiracy charge. Ruelas will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence. The case is still ongoing against the remaining defendants involved in the Cavazos drug trafficking organization.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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