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Pleasant Grove couple sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking conspiracy

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Published  August 27, 2025 7:14pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 4
article

The Brief

    • A Pleasant Grove couple, Ricardo Ruiz and Holly Candice Lopez, have been sentenced to life in prison.
    • The couple pleaded guilty to leading a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
    • The case was a multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and IRS.

PLEASANT GROVE - A Pleasant Grove couple has received lengthy federal prison sentences for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

What we know:

According to information presented in court, Ricardo Ruiz and his wife, Holly Candice Lopez, were leaders in a drug trafficking organization in Pleasant Grove, distributing kilogram quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. 

The couple used at least five stash houses in the area to store and distribute illegal narcotics that were imported into the United States from Mexico.

30-year-old Ricardo Ruiz and 28-year-old Holly Candice Lopez both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering and were sentenced to life in federal prison on August 27, 2025.

What's next:

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Dallas Police Department, Mesquite Police Department, McKinney Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, Lewisville Police Department, and Denton County Sheriff’s Office.

The Source: Information in this article came from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Texas.

Crime and Public SafetyPleasant GroveDallas CountyDallas