United States Drug Enforcement Administration

EL PASO - A former FBI “Ten Most Wanted Fugitive” and leader of the El Paso/Juarez-based Bario Azteca gang pleaded guilty today in federal court in El Paso, Texas, for his role in the March 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico, in which three people associated with the U.S. Consulate were murdered when gunmen shot into the vehicle in which they and their children were riding.

Eduardo Ravelo, also known as Tablas, 57, of Juarez, Mexico, pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas to racketeering conspiracy (RICO), conspiracy to distribute and import drugs, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and murder in aid of racketeering. A sentencing date has not yet been set by the court. At sentencing, Ravelo faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison.

“This case is a tragic reminder of the inseparable link between drug trafficking and violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) El Paso Field Division. “The dedicated men and women of the DEA remain steadfast in their mission to bring violent drug traffickers to justice for their heinous crimes.”

“Eduardo Ravelo was responsible for Barrio Azteca brazenly orchestrating the murders of three individuals associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juarez, Mexico,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today, after years of evading capture, he is finally being held accountable for heinous crimes that Barrio Azteca committed during the course of cartel wars in Juarez, including attacks on U.S. employees. The Criminal Division will not tolerate violent attacks on those who support our embassies and consulates abroad, and we will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.”

“Ravelo’s admission of guilt today ensures accountability for his role in the murder of U.S. Consulate employees,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Today’s plea also ensures he is held responsible for his leadership of a vicious criminal enterprise that terrorized the city of Juarez and contributed to the poisoning of our communities on this side of the border. This case has spanned decades, and this latest development reflects our commitment to pursuing and prosecuting violent criminals like Ravelo regardless of how long it takes for the long arm of justice to grab hold.”

According to court documents  and information presented in court throughout this case, Ravelo is one of 35 Barrio Azteca members and associates based in the United States and Mexico who were charged in the third superseding indictment in 2011 for committing various criminal acts, including racketeering, narcotics distribution and importation, retaliation against persons providing information to U.S. law enforcement, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and murder. Of the 35 defendants, 10 Mexican nationals, including Ravelo, were charged for their role in the March 13, 2010 murders in Juarez, Mexico, of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a U.S. Consulate employee.

All of the defendants have been apprehended, and 28, including Ravelo, have pleaded guilty. Three defendants have been convicted at trial, one committed suicide before the conclusion of his trial, and one is awaiting extradition from Mexico. Two defendants await trial in the United States.

Ravelo was the leader of the Barrio Azteca gang in Mexico beginning in around 2004. In 2009, Ravelo was placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list and remained there until his arrest in 2018 in Mexico. He was extradited to the United States on Feb. 20, 2025.

The Barrio Azteca (BA) is a violent street and prison gang that began in the late 1980s and expanded into a transnational criminal organization. In the 2000s, the BA formed an alliance in Mexico with “La Linea,” which is part of the Juarez Drug Cartel (also known as the Vincente Carrillo Fuentes Drug Cartel or VCF). The purpose of the BA-La Linea alliance was to battle the Chapo Guzman Cartel and its allies for control of the drug trafficking routes through Juarez and Chihuahua. The drug routes through Juarez, known as the Juarez Plaza, are important to drug trafficking organizations because they are a principal illicit drug trafficking conduit into the United States. The gang has a militaristic command structure and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers — all with the purpose of maintaining power and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, intimidation, violence, threats of violence, and murder.

As a BA Captain in Juarez, Ravelo directed and controlled the BA’s drug trafficking activities, and he was ultimately responsible for and in some cases directly controlled multiple “hit” or “sicario” squads, which consisted of multiple BA members armed with automatic and semi-automatic firearms who committed numerous kidnappings and murders in support of the BA against rival cartel members. On the day of the Consulate murders, Ravelo monitored radio communications and directed BA members who targeted and murdered Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton; her husband Arthur Redelfs, and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros. Enriquez Catton was four months pregnant, and her fetus was also killed.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s El Paso and Albuquerque Field Offices (Las Cruces Resident Agency); DEA Juarez; and DEA El Paso. Special assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; El Paso Police Department; El Paso County Sheriff’s Office; El Paso Independent School District Police Department; Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission; New Mexico State Police; Dona Ana County, New Mexico Sheriff’s Office; Las Cruces, (New Mexico) Police Department; Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility and Otero County Prison Facility New Mexico.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Jay Bauer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Amy Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Spitzer for the Western District of Texas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico and the Criminal Division’s Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the extradition of Ravelo.

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