The businesswoman who wanted to “save the planet from contamination” but worked with the Sinaloa cartel in Guatemala

Travels around the world, luxury brands and visits to China, that’s how he showed himself Ana Gabriela Rubio Zea in social networks. On one side the woman Guatemalan He seemed to lead a life of eccentricities, but under this curtain of opulence he hid the way he had really made his fortune: working with the Sinaloa Cartel.

After almost a decade of entering the world of drug trafficking, Gaby – as she is also known – has finally been arrested for her criminal activities. He is currently waiting to be extradited to the United States to stand trial, along with some of his accomplices. However, it managed to operate for several years without arousing public suspicion.

Since 2016, Gaby Zea started sharing her ostentatious lifestyle on Facebook and Instagram. The photos he uploaded to his accounts had one constant: trips to the beach, nightclubs, dining out, trendy clothes and a dog. Pomeranian with whom he traveled everywhere.

Although she gave the appearance of being a celebrity, she actually identified as a conservationist. She was also the general manager of Igigi Technologiesa company dedicated to the manufacture of ecological and biodegradable products.

“Years ago, I started with the idea of ​​saving the planet in order to give our future generations a sustainable place to live,” says Zea in a video from Iggi Technologies uploaded to his YouTube channel in September 2018. On that date, he was already linked to “little boys”, the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of Joaquín Chapo Guzman.

Because he considered plastic the number one pollutant in the world, Zea launched a brand known as I-ECO, which produced biodegradable bags and straws made from cornstarch. “Our raw material is FDA approved and our machines are totally emission-free,” promoted the Guatemalan businesswoman.

Thus, while posing as an environmental entrepreneur, Gaby has traveled several continents. According to his photos on social networks, he used to visit the United States (Miami, Los Angeles or New York), Mexico (Cancun and San Miguel de Allende), Italy (Rome and Venice) , France (Paris) and China, where he managed to establish his criminal contacts for the production of fentanyl.

In one of his photos uploaded to his Instagram account, he wrote the phrase: “And who am I? It’s a secret I’ll never tell.” What he didn’t know was that US authorities were following his trail and that after a few years, his criminal activities – which he tried to keep secret – would be finally revealed.

With the promise to save the world and under the guise of an environmentalist and a businesswoman, Gaby Zea began to import chinese products in Guatemala for its I-ECO brand, which has identified itself as a company dedicated to the research and manufacture of biodegradable materials. “We are 100% committed to the environment,” read their social media description.

The Guatemalan woman even used to share photos and videos of her partners in China on her Facebook profile, as seen in a 2020 post about hygiene products used during the COVID-19 pandemic. But just as he imported non-polluting items, he also did so with chemical precursors used to make fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opiumide that has caused a public health problem in the United States.

According to US State Department reports, Zea used his experience to establish contacts with chemical suppliers and manufacturers located in the People’s Republic of China. The objective was to acquire fentanyl precursors to send to the Sinaloa Cartelan organization that produced the opioid for subsequent distribution in the United States.

In this way, Rubio acted as an intermediary for the acquisition of several kilograms of N-BOC-4-Piperidonewhich was purchased from the Asian company SXPC. In 2021, 25 kilos of said chemical were sent from China to Guadalajara, Mexico, knowing that they would be used to manufacture designer drugs.

At that time, the American authorities knew that Gaby Rubio was also buying precursors from the company. WSBT, which, like SXPC, was headquartered in the People’s Republic of China. To hide the products from customs in Mexico and other countries, Zea hid them in food containers or had them packaged with other legal chemicals to avoid detection.

After a series of investigations, it was determined that the Guatemalan businesswoman had contacts with “Los Chapitos”, a group led by the heirs of El Chapo: Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, as well as Joaquín Guzmán López – brother of Ovid Guzmandrug trafficker arrested in early January in Sinaloa-.

The investigations against Ana Gabriela were multiple, so it was only a matter of time before she fell into the hands of justice. After a few months of absence on social networks, the alleged environmentalist was detained in Guatemala on March 17, 2023, since he already had a provisional arrest warrant.

At the time of her arrest, Gaby was wearing blue jeans and a sweater from a prestigious brand (Gucci). Her arrest was made by anti-narcotics officers while the 32-year-old woman was in a van with registration number P-623 HBW on the boulevard landivar.

On this occasion, the Guatemalan authorities also arrested two other Mexican individuals who belonged to the Sinaloa Cartel: Humberto Beltran Cuena.k.a Don Chinothere Sergio Antonio Duarte. Both are required by the United States because of their involvement in the distribution of fentanyl.

Subsequently, on April 4, a federal grand jury in the court for the Southern District of New York indicted Gaby Rubio on the following counts: conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of synthetic opioid and money laundering.

Due to its criminal activities, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFACfor its acronym in English) included Zea in its list of blocked peoplebecause of their participation in “activities or transactions which have contributed significantly to the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production”.

Currently, Ana Gabriela is in police custody, while the US State Department is offering up to US$1 Million Reward in exchange for information leading to his conviction.

As for the Chinese company WSBT, it was also on the OFAC blacklist, just like its owner. yao huatao and two of their representatives, identified as Wu Yaqin and Wu Yonghao. The charges against these citizens of the People’s Republic of China are criminal association, importation of fentanyl and money laundering.