The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico has announced federal charges against five members of the Albuquerque-based Rubalcaba Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) for their involvement in the distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Defendants Tomas Rubalcaba, 45, Joaquin Rubalcaba, 40, and Humberto Gastelum, 65, have been detained and await trial, while Frederick Chavey, 38, has been released under his sister’s supervision. Ismael Vargas, 37, remains at large.
Court documents allege that Tomas and Joaquin Rubalcaba, the leaders of the DTO, operated the organization through Tomas’s business, Albuquerque Classics. The DTO has reportedly been distributing narcotics in Albuquerque since 2021. Throughout 2024, undercover DEA agents made several drug purchases from the group, totaling around 5,582 grams of fentanyl, 518 grams of cocaine, 187 grams of heroin, and 2,025 grams of methamphetamine.
On October 23, 2024, federal and local law enforcement executed search warrants at properties linked to the DTO. Agents seized about 715,000 fentanyl pills, more than seven kilograms of cocaine, and multiple firearms. At Joaquin Rubalcaba’s residence alone, officers recovered 660,000 fentanyl pills, three kilograms of cocaine, and five firearms, two of which were confirmed stolen.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.