McALLEN, Texas — Jorge Alberto Ruiz-Periban, a 35-year-old from Mexico City, Mexico, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for smuggling $570,247 into Mexico through the Anzalduas Port of Entry. The conviction marks a direct hit on cross-border cash trafficking tied to organized crime.
Ruiz-Periban pleaded guilty April 8 to bulk cash smuggling, admitting he concealed the currency inside the spare tire of his vehicle while traveling from Mission, Texas, toward Mexico. He declared at the border that he carried less than $10,000, knowingly violating federal reporting laws designed to stop illicit financial flows.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane imposed the sentence today, ordering full forfeiture of the $570,247 seized during secondary inspection. Court records indicate Ruiz-Periban, not a U.S. citizen, works as a horse trainer in Mexico and may have been recruited by a drug cartel to launder the money — a common tactic used to funnel drug profits out of the United States.
On January 8, Customs and Border Protection officers referred Ruiz-Periban to secondary screening after detecting irregularities in his vehicle. A search revealed the spare tire had been hollowed out and packed with bundles of U.S. currency totaling $570,247 — all meticulously hidden to avoid detection.
“Today’s sentencing of Ruiz-Periban demonstrates that bulk cash smuggling is a serious crime motivated by greed, which directly contributes to the cartel violence that damages communities on both sides of the border,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Antonio. “HSI will continue to utilize its broad investigative authorities to dismantle transnational criminal organizations who blatantly ignore the laws of this nation.”
Ruiz-Periban remains in custody and will be transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated. After serving his sentence, he is expected to face removal proceedings. The case was investigated by HSI and Customs and Border Protection and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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