St. Louis Man Indicted for Drug Trafficking

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Louis, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for drug trafficking after he suffered a heroin overdose in a Columbia, Mo., hotel room.

Gustavo Ruvalcaba, 43, of St. Louis, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Ruvalcaba on July 15, 2014.

Today’s indictment alleges that Ruvalcaba was in possession of heroin, crack cocaine, powder cocaine and methamphetamine, all with the intent to distribute, on July 14, 2014.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Columbia police officers were dispatched to a room at the Super 8 Motel in response to a drug overdose. Ruvalcaba was lying on the floor and being treated by EMS and fire personnel when officers arrived.

Officers executed a search warrant for the hotel room and seized 18 grams of black tar heroin, seven grams of crack cocaine, 39 grams of powder cocaine, 13 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and $74,525.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Zander. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.