Last Updated: July 6, 2026

Joel Efren RUELAS AVILA

Nationality

Mexico

Date of birth

1978-09-20

Place of birth

Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico

Sex

Male

Address

Calle 10 Sin Numero, Localidad Genaro Estrada, Sinaloa, Mexico

Reg. ID

RUAJ780920HSLLVL02, C.U.R.P.; RUAJ780920C10, R.F.C.

Function

Drug cartel/Mafia

Official reason

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today increased its pressure on major Mexican heroin traffickers by targeting individuals and companies close to the new leadership of the Ruelas Torres drug trafficking organization (Ruelas Torres DTO). Treasury imposed additional sanctions on eight Mexican individuals and eight Mexican companies linked to the Sinaloa-based criminal organization, which has been led by Joel Efren Ruelas Avila since the 2017 death of his father Jose Luis Ruelas Torres.

Sender

Other Information

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0305

Date of listing

2017-05-24

Program information

Authority

Program

Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 598

Regime

OFAC-horizontal

Target State

Drugs

Measures

Blocking Property

Official Information

The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 598 (FNKSR), implement the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1901–1908), which provides authority for the application of sanctions to significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations operating worldwide.

Additional Details

SDN

Program URL

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/05/17/2021-10314/narcotics-trafficking-sanctions-regulations-and-foreign-narcotics-kingpin-sanctions-regulations

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