Federico Valenzuela Ruiz, a 39-year-old man, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role as an east coast source for trafficking fentanyl. The sentencing took place on April 10 in the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island.
The case against Valenzuela Ruiz originated in 2021. Following negotiations with an individual based in Providence, Valenzuela Ruiz agreed to supply large quantities of fentanyl at a rate of $38,000 per kilogram. In May of that year, he delivered a single kilogram of fentanyl which was subsequently seized by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Rhode Island Drug Task Force, according to court documents. Three months later, Valenzuela Ruiz arranged the sale of 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to another individual at $6 per pill and offered to sell 10,000 of these pills for $5 per pill. This information is based on a news release from the DEA announcing Valenzuela Ruiz's sentencing.
Valenzuela Ruiz was arrested along with his brother-in-law and another individual by DEA Drug Task Force agents on September 7, 2021. The arrest occurred as 9,000 pills were being delivered under Valenzuela Ruiz's instruction. The task force comprises individuals from several agencies including the DEA, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Rhode Island State Police; officers from various local police departments such as Cranston, Middletown, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick and Woonsocket. Officers from Amtrak Police also participated in the task force operation.
During the investigation into Valenzuela Ruiz's activities, nearly 9,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills were seized. According to the DEA news release detailing Valenzuela Ruiz's sentencing outcome, the total weight of the seized drugs included 1,012.9 grams of fentanyl, 4.475 grams of fentanyl powder, and 892.3 grams of fentanyl mixed with 723.9 grams of tramadol as a cutting agent.
On November 1, 2023, Valenzuela Ruiz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced him to five years in federal prison, which will be followed by three years of federal supervision upon his release, according to the DEA news release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey A. Erickson.
