Ex-Baja California Governor Ernesto Ruffo arrested for organized crime

Former Baja California Governor Ernesto Ruffo was arrested connected Thursday connected organized crime, substance theft and taxation evasion charges.

The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) arrested the 74-year-old Ruffo successful Ensenada aft what it called “a highly analyzable investigation.” Ricardo Thompson, Ruffo’s concern spouse successful the institution Ingemar, was besides arrested.

🛢️🚨 #AlMomento | Comienza el traslado desde Tijuana hasta CdMx de Ernesto Ruffo, exgobernador de Baja California acusado de huachicol fiscal. “No maine olviden”, expresó al observar que sus empleados se acercaban al vehículo de la Fiscalía General de la República en el que sería… pic.twitter.com/0ftnwNnET9

— Milenio (@Milenio) July 17, 2026

Ingemar — which Ruffo erstwhile said lone managed customs procedures — was linked to an operation carried retired by authorities successful Coahuila a twelvemonth ago, during which astir 15.5 cardinal liters of substance and 129 tanker trucks were seized. 

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said Ingemar was nether scrutiny for its alleged engagement successful what was, astatine the time, the biggest specified bust by the existent medication which took bureau successful October 2024. The substance smuggling web outgo the treasury much than US $220 million, authorities say.

Initially, García Harfuch said Ruffo was not a suspect, but the consequent probe — which is inactive ongoing — resulted successful an apprehension warrant being issued.

When questioned astir the bust successful July 2025, Ruffo — who claims to beryllium conscionable a number shareholder successful Ingemar — said his conscience was clear.

“The distributors are the ones who grip each the logistics, the question of the fuel,” he told El Universal newspaper. “The importer lone does the customs agent’s paperwork; we are the importer … we don’t adjacent spot the fuel, we lone spot papers.”

Established successful 2018, Ingemar registered its superior concern enactment arsenic providing retention services for hydrocarbons, petroleum and petrochemicals. It besides was progressive successful the purchase, sale, import and export of hydrocarbons, portion besides acting arsenic a contractor for national and section governments.

A subordinate of the National Action Party (PAN), Ruffo was elected politician of the borderline authorities successful 1989, becoming the archetypal absorption campaigner to triumph a authorities governorship aft six decades of regularisation by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Prior to that, Ruffo served arsenic politician of Ensenada from 1986-1989 and was aboriginal elected to a six-year word arsenic legislator (2012-2018), during which clip helium served arsenic president of the Northern Border Affairs Committee.

In ta statement, the PAN accused the authorities of applying treble standards, referring to the contention involving the existent Baja California governor who is simply a subordinate of the ruling Morena party. 

“It is intolerable not to announcement that this apprehension occurs amidst increasing nationalist attraction with respect to the lawsuit involving Governor Marina del Pilar, who continues to neglect to supply capable answers regarding the superior allegations against her […] The instrumentality cannot beryllium applied otherwise depending connected the idiosyncratic oregon the enactment they beryllium to.”

With reports from El País, El Universal, Proceso, La Jornada and The Associated Press