A Colombian national has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import large quantities of cocaine into the United States. U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced that Edgar Ruiz-Gomez, also known as "Gono," was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges related to importing five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Ruiz-Gomez, 57, admitted to having a managerial role in the drug trafficking operation that spanned from 2016 through January 2020 and involved more than five individuals. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve five years of supervised release.
"My office is fully committed to employing its considerable resources to prosecuting dangerous drug organizations," stated U.S. Attorney Giordano.
The case was investigated by special agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark, New Jersey. The investigation also involved DEA agents operating in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and other international law enforcement agencies provided assistance.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a multi-agency approach. It is also linked to Operation Take Back America, which focuses on eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark represented the government in this case.
