Bario Azteca leader pleads guilty in 2010 U.S. Consulate murders case
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Eduardo Ravelo, aka Tablas, 57, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering, in addition to other crimes, for his role in the March 2010 U.S. Consulate murders in Juarez, Mexico. Ravelo also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and import drugs, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country.
Three people associated with the U.S. Consulate were murdered when gunmen shot the car in which they and their children were riding. The killings made headlines nationwide, but especially in the Borderland and Juarez, where violence was ramping up. 2010 was the start of one of the deadliest periods in Juarez's history.
Ravelo, a former FBI "Ten Most Wanted Fugitive" and leader of the El Paso/Juarez-based Bario Azteca gang pleaded guilty in federal court in El Paso today, according to federal prosecutors. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. He faces a mandatory penalty of life in prison.
Ravelo was arrested in June 2018. He was extradited to the U.S. along with co-conspirator Enrique Guajardo Lopez, aka Kiki, in February 2025.
Ravelo, Lopez, and other defendants were charged in connection with the killing of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelfs, and the husband of another consulate employee, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros. Prosecutors said in February 2025 that all 35 Barrio Azteca defendants have been apprehended, three have been convicted at trial, 28 have pleaded guilty, one has committed suicide, and another is still waiting for extradition from Mexico.
“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.”
