Juan Carlos Ruiz Jr., also known as “Goer,” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine and firearms trafficking. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced the sentencing.
Court documents reveal that Ruiz distributed over four kilograms of methamphetamine and sold 19 firearms on multiple occasions. He is a felon and a documented member of the Bulldog gang.
Ruiz’s sentencing follows those of several co-defendants. On March 31, 2025, Javier Alfonso Lopez Lopez received a four-year sentence for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. Sostenes Quintero Lopez was sentenced to more than ten years on January 6, 2025, for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine. Angel Sanchez was sentenced to 14 years on June 24, 2024, for distributing methamphetamine and firearms trafficking alongside his cousin Ruiz. Alma Sanchez received over 16 years on September 25, 2023, for supplying methamphetamine to her son Ruiz.
The case resulted from an investigation by multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Coalinga Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA), and Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a multi-agency approach led by prosecutors and driven by intelligence.
Additionally, this case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which seeks to reduce violent crime and gun violence by uniting law enforcement with communities. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a strategy on May 26, 2021, to strengthen PSN with core principles focused on community trust and legitimacy, supporting preventive community-based organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
