A 49-year-old Mexicali man who prosecutors say rose to lead an armed faction of the Sinaloa Cartel has pleaded guilty in federal court to overseeing a cocaine pipeline that ran through Imperial County for more than a decade, along with laundering millions in drug proceeds back across the border into Mexico. Gerardo Julio Rueda Torres arranged for roughly 50 kilograms of cocaine per week to be smuggled into the United States for over ten years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Guilty Plea Details a Decade of Smuggling
According to KESQ, Rueda Torres’s subordinates drove the drugs from Mexicali into Imperial County, feeding a smuggling corridor that has long served as a gateway into major U.S. drug markets. Once across the border, that cocaine did not stay local. Per the U.S. Department of Justice, the case involved cocaine smuggling through Imperial County.
In his plea agreement, Rueda Torres admitted to serving as a leader within Los Rusos, an armed faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Justice Department says. The Justice Department also describes a conflict between Los Rusos and rival Los Chapitos factions — a detail that underscores the internal cartel feud simmering behind the quiet cross-border cash and drug runs described in court filings.
Two Decades of Moving Cartel Cash
The money laundering side of Rueda Torres’s operation stretched back nearly 20 years, the Justice Department’s account states. He initially transported money into Mexico before eventually commanding a network of load drivers who moved $500,000 at a time across the border, according to the same release. The scale of that laundering operation, prosecutors say, mirrors the escalation of his role within the cartel itself, from a low-level courier to a leader overseeing both drugs and drug money.
Court documents published by CaseMine show the federal case traces back to a May 2017 traffic stop, when law enforcement discovered more than $1 million in cash hidden inside the spare tire of his vehicle. Despite that seizure, Rueda Torres later resided in Mexico before being arrested and extradited.
Arrest in Mexicali Came After Years as a Fugitive
Mexican outlet SinEmbargo reported that Rueda Torres, known by the alias El Tochín, was arrested in Mexicali, Baja California, in December 2024 ahead of his extradition. The Justice Department also provided details about the investigation in its release…