Colombian National Sentenced 12 Years for Leading International Cocaine Smuggling Conspiracy

Edgar Ruiz-Gomez admitted to managing a transnational drug operation that trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States over four years.

A Colombian national has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his leadership role in a conspiracy to transport hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States from multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.

Edgar Ruiz-Gomez, also known as “Gono,” 57, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine. U.S. District Judge Esther Salas imposed the sentence on March 20, 2025, in Newark federal court. In addition to the prison term, Ruiz-Gomez was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

According to court records and statements made during the sentencing, Ruiz-Gomez conspired with others from 2016 through January 2020 to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic into the United States. He admitted to holding a managerial position within the drug trafficking organization, which involved more than five co-conspirators.

The prosecution of Ruiz-Gomez is part of a larger initiative under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program, which targets the most significant drug trafficking and criminal organizations through coordinated, multi-agency investigations.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), including agents based in Newark as well as in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Support was also provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, judicial attachés in Bogotá, Colombian law enforcement agencies, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Authorities emphasized the international scope of the operation and its collaborative nature, which played a key role in dismantling the transnational drug trafficking network.