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‘The Jail Is Now My Backyard’: Ex-Baja California Governor Ernesto Ruffo Home in Ensenada After 72 Days in El Altiplano Over Alleged U.S.-to-Mexico Fuel Smuggling by Rail

By The Narco Blog · September 28, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel, in a plaid shirt, escorted by federal agents outside the FGR office in Tijuana
Former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel is brought into the federal prosecutor’s (FGR) offices in Tijuana’s Zona Río after his arrest on July 16, 2026. This photo is not from his Sept. 28 return to Ensenada. Photo: Cuartoscuro, via Infobae.

Former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel, charged with organized crime in an alleged scheme to smuggle fuel from the United States into Mexico by rail, arrived home in Ensenada, south of Tijuana and San Diego, on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, after 72 days in the maximum-security El Altiplano prison. “Now, for a jail, well, it’s the backyard of my house,” the 74-year-old told reporters, according to El Financiero.

A federal judge moved him to house arrest. The criminal case against him continues.

A 39-hour ride under National Guard escort

Proceso reported that Ruffo arrived after 6:46 a.m., escorted by six National Guard vehicles, after a trip of about 3,000 kilometers (roughly 1,900 miles) and 39 hours by road. He left El Altiplano, in the State of Mexico, on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 26, according to Infobae and El Universal.

Infobae said a federal judge approved the change on Sept. 25, after the defense cited his age and health. Under the order, the National Guard will guard his home around the clock. He must hand over his passport and visa, may not leave the country or contact his co-defendants, and may not go to the company under investigation. El Financiero identified the judge as Mario Elizondo Martínez.

Black armored federal security vehicle and a federal protection pickup at the gate of El Altiplano prison
Federal security vehicles at El Altiplano prison, in a photo El Universal published with its report on Ruffo’s Sept. 26 departure for house arrest. Photo: Gabriel Pano/El Universal.

What prosecutors allege: 18 million liters in 163 tank cars

According to Infobae, Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office (FGR) ties the case to Ingemar, a company in which Ruffo holds shares. Prosecutors say it was part of a network that smuggled fuel from the U.S. into Mexico, and allege that 11 companies brought 18,225,657 liters of gasoline and diesel into Mexico in 163 rail tank cars. The FGR says customs declarations understated how much fuel was in the tank cars. Between June 2024 and July 2025, the FGR says, Ingemar moved 3.075 billion pesos in domestic and international transfers that it links to the smuggling.

Ruffo was arrested in Ensenada on July 16, the same day as Ingemar partner Ricardo Thompson Navarro. A federal judge ordered him and seven co-defendants to stand trial on July 23, Infobae reported.

Ruffo: “This has political dimensions”

Ruffo has pleaded not guilty. “I declared myself innocent, I was willing to appear,” he told journalist Azucena Uresti, according to Infobae. “In the company I am a shareholder, I did not take part in anything else… this has political dimensions.” His daughter, Verónica Ruffo, questioned why he had been flown to prison but driven back.

The allegations have not been proven in court. Ruffo is presumed innocent.

Sources

Reported Sept. 28, 2026, from Mexican media accounts of the FGR’s case and Ruffo’s statements. The FGR’s evidence has not been tested at trial, and no trial date has been reported.