Quick Facts
Biography
Sergio Enrique Ruiz Tlapanco (alias Z-44) is a Mexican drug lord of Los Zetas and one of the original founders.
Arrest
He was captured on September 9, 2009. The government of Mexico had listed Ruiz Tlapanco as one of its 37 most-wanted drug lords and offered the equivalent of over $1 million USD for information leading to his capture.
Kingpin Act sanction
On 24 March 2010, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Ruiz-Tlapanco under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with fifty-three other international criminals and ten foreign entities. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any king of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.