BIGTIME TRAFFICKER TAKEN DOWN: Jesus Ruiz-Sandoval, a 42-year-old US citizen, has been charged with running a multi-million-dollar international cocaine trafficking and money laundering scheme out of Tijuana, Mexico.
According to an indictment unsealed by the Department of Justice, Ruiz-Sandoval worked closely with co-conspirators John Joe Soto, 38, and Esteban Sinhue Mercado, 35, both US citizens currently residing in Mexico. The group smuggled large quantities of cocaine from Tijuana through San Diego to Los Angeles, where commercial trucks transported the drugs to the Mid-Atlantic for distribution in the Eastern United States.
The cash proceeds from the cocaine sales were transported back across the US to Los Angeles, where they were packaged and loaded into cars that couriers drove through San Diego and into Tijuana, delivering the money to Ruiz-Sandoval.
As a result of the investigation, authorities have seized over $5 million in cash proceeds and more than 130 kilos of cocaine. Ruiz-Sandoval, who fled the US for Mexico several years ago in violation of his terms of supervised release for a prior federal drug-trafficking crime, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and other related counts.
“This office targets sophisticated international trafficking cells by hitting them where it hurts — their wallets,” said US Attorney Tara K. McGrath. “Following the money takes you to the heart of a trafficking organization and this prosecution aims to drive a stake through it.”
Ruiz-Sandoval, Soto, and Mercado, along with the other 11 defendants, are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The investigation is ongoing and authorities are working to dismantle the trafficking organization and bring those responsible to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Mendez Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar Drug Ring · California
- Albuquerque Drug Kingpin Pleads Guilty to Cocaine, Money Laundering · New Mexico
- Meth Kingpin Ocegueda-Ruiz Convicted in Montana · Montana
- Lekhakul Brothers Busted in Thailand Gun Parts Scheme · Washington
- Coast-to-Coast Cocaine Ring Busted in Cleveland · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
