The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confirmed on Thursday, July 16, the arrest in Ensenada, Baja California, of former PAN governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel on charges of organized crime and fuel smuggling.
According to information available so far, the arrest was carried out by agents from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) following a complex investigation into large-scale smuggling operations conducted by a company founded by the former governor.
Ruffo Appel served as governor of Baja California from 1989 to 1995 representing the National Action Party (PAN). On July 3, 1989, he became the first opposition governor in Mexico’s history.
Since September 2025, Ernesto had faced public scrutiny regarding his ties to the company Ingemar, which was linked to fuel tax fraud—specifically, the alleged smuggling of fuel into the country without declaring it as such to avoid paying taxes.
Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila had previously confirmed that investigations into hydrocarbon smuggling involved “a former PAN governor,” without specifying a name.
