Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Juan Carlos Ruiz Jr., also known as "Goer," has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine and trafficking firearms, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. The 26-year-old Coalinga resident was found guilty of distributing over four kilograms of methamphetamine and selling 19 firearms on multiple occasions. Ruiz is a documented member of the Bulldog gang and a convicted felon.
Several co-defendants associated with Ruiz have also received prison sentences. On March 31, 2025, Javier Alfonso Lopez Lopez was sentenced to four years for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. Earlier in the year, on January 6, Sostenes Quintero Lopez received a sentence exceeding ten years for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine. Angel Sanchez, Ruiz's cousin, was sentenced to 14 years on June 24, 2024, for similar charges involving drug distribution and firearms trafficking alongside Ruiz. Alma Sanchez, who is Ruiz's mother, was sentenced to over 16 years on September 25, 2023, for supplying methamphetamine to him.
The investigation leading to these convictions involved several law enforcement agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Coalinga Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA), and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations that pose threats within the United States through a collaborative approach involving multiple agencies and intelligence-driven strategies.
Additionally, this effort aligns with Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence by fostering trust between law enforcement and communities while supporting organizations that work towards preventing violence.
