Sergio Enrique Ruiz Tlapanco (born 8 October 1972) is a
Mexican suspected drug lord and high-ranking member of
Los Zetas
Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...
, a criminal group based in
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...
, Mexico.
Early life and career
Sergio Enrique Ruiz Tlapanco was born on 8 October 1972 in Mexico. He joined the
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army.
The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...
on 6 March 1988. While serving in the military, he was assigned as an officer of the
Federal Judicial Police
The Federal Judicial Police ( es, Policía Judicial Federal, the PJF) was the federal police force of Mexico until it was shut down in 2002 due to its own rampant corruption and criminal activity.
The jurisdiction of the Federal Judicial Police en ...
(PJF) from 1997 to 1999. He was based in Coahuila and had a C rank as an agent. On 16 November 1999, he requested his release from the military.
Arrest
He was captured on September 9, 2009. The government of
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
had listed Ruiz Tlapanco as one of its 37 most-wanted drug lords and offered the equivalent of over $1 million
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
for information leading to his capture.
Kingpin Act sanction
On 24 March 2010, the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
sanctioned Ruiz-Tlapanco under the
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, better known as the Kingpin Act, is landmark federal legislation in the United States intended to address international narcotics trafficking by imposing United States sanctions on foreign persons ...
(sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with fifty-three other international criminals and ten foreign entities. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.
See also
*
List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords
This is a list of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords as published by Mexican federal authorities on 23 March 2009. According to a ''BBC Mundo'' Mexico report, the 37 drug lords "have jeopardized México national security." As of 8 January 2016, ...
References
Gulf Cartel members
Mexican crime bosses
Living people
People sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
1972 births
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