Thread: 6 Arrested after cops discover meth worth $2m

6 arrested after cops discover meth worth $2M
May 21st, 2008 @ 6:30pm
by Hanna Scott/KTAR Newsroom

The Maricopa County Sherriff's Office made a massive drug bust Wednesday, seizing 20 pounds of methamphetamine, dozens of weapons and more than $200,000 dollars.

The sheriff's office said the investigation started seven months ago on a tip.

Six people from the Ruiz family have been arrested, several of them illegal immigrants and one man who is a corrections officer at the Lewis Prison Complex.

"This organized crime family happened to be a family, a real blood-related family," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "And that makes this a little unusual, too, when you have a whole family like this involved with a major operation."

The DEA and FBI were involved in the bust, and found drugs and money in other states tied to the Arizona ring.

The street value of the 20 pounds of methamphetamine seized is estimated at approximately $2 million dollars.





http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=844162

Those good ole family values strike again.

AZ DOC officer, 5 others busted for meth operation
Reported by: Katrina Wessman
Email: kwessman@abc15.com
Reported by: Brent Roulier
Last Update: 5/22 12:28 am



Slideshow
Domingo Ruiz Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the story

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has arrested six members of a family, including an Arizona Department of Corrections officer, following a methamphetamine bust in west Phoenix.

On Tuesday, officials followed a vehicle they had under surveillance near 83rd Avenue and Indian School Road.

A routine traffic stop was made and detectives discovered four pounds of pure methamphetamine inside the car.

Two people in the vehicle were taken into custody, including the undocumented immigrant driver, 55-year-old Domingo Ruiz.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Ruiz and several of his children ran drugs from Nogales, Mexico to Phoenix.

In a seven-month investigation, coordinated with the FBI and several local law enforcement agencies, Arpaio said they seized 20 pounds of Meth with a street value of $2 million.

Authorities also confiscated $200,000 in cash, handguns, and AK 47s.

One of the people arrested Ruiz’s son Neo Ruiz, a corrections officer at the Lewis Prison Complex in Buckeye.

Arpaio said Neo worked at the Lewis Prison for seven years.

Also arrested were Maria Ruiz-Ochoa, 27, Humberto Ruiz, 29, Ruben Ruiz, 22, and Javier Serrano-Garcia, 19.

Six vehicles were also seized. Authorities said some contained compartments built to hide drugs.

MCSO officials said the sting also led investigators to Ohio and South Dakota where they found more Meth, Cocaine and cash.

These seizures included 35 pounds of methamphetamine, 12 pounds of cocaine, and $200,000, all allegedly tied to the Ruiz family drug business.



Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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