Arrested for Transporting Heroin in Siskiyou County, Escondido Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ruben Ruiz Jr., 27, of Escondido, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to 10 years in prison for possessing heroin for distribution, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Ruiz pleaded guilty on June 19, 2018. According to court documents, on February 28, 2018, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped Ruiz while he was driving northbound on Interstate 5 near Mt. Shasta in Siskiyou County. When the officer had his narcotics detection canine run a sweep around Ruiz’s truck, the dog alerted. A subsequent search revealed over 14 pounds of heroin. Ruiz was on federal supervised release at the time, after having been released from federal custody for a separate narcotics offense three months earlier.

According to the plea agreement, Ruiz said that he was supposed to receive a call when he arrived in Portland with further instructions.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Highway Patrol, and the Siskiyou Unified Major Investigations Team.