EXCLUSIVE: Arizona United States Senate Candidate Ruben Gallego Lied About His Relationship With His Mexican Drug Trafficker Father

Arizona United States Senate Candidate Ruben Gallego continues to leave voters in the dark regarding his open border policies and his family ties to Mexican drug cartels.  On October 3rd, Ruben Gallego responded to Kari Lake’s multiple comments about Gallego’s father being a convicted felon, saying his dad “Is a convicted drug dealer, and it’s a stain that our family has had to carry.” Gallego has also stated that he barely knew his father and that his father “abandoned” his family. However, Ruben Gallego’s book, “They Called Us Lucky,” published in 2021, tells a different story. Gallego wrote in his book that he lived with his father on his family farm in Chihuahua, Mexico until he was in second grade. It is important to note that the area of Chihuahua, Mexico, is connected to the Juárez Cartel. Gallego’s father, Jose Angel MarineLarena, was arrested in Chicago in 1996 on drug trafficking charges related to his drug smuggling for the Juárez Cartel. At the time of his arrest, Jose Angel MarineLarena had $481,000 worth of drugs in his den in Chicago. Green card records show that at the time of his arrest, Gallego’s father was a resident alien from Chihuahua, Mexico. It is interesting to note that despite his drug trafficking arrest, the Immigration Naturalization Services (INS) and DHS did not deport MarineLarena, and MarineLarena’s Mexican birth records have been sealed.

Gallego’s past statements on his father “abandoning” his family are further questioned by the fact that photos from Ruben Gallego’s wedding appear to show Gallego’s father, Jose Angel MarineLarena, in attendance. It seems Ruben Gallego has also lied about his family’s financial background. In “They Called Us Lucky,” Gallego wrote that his father’s construction business failed while Ruben Gallego was in junior high. However, business records from May 2024 show that Gallego’s father is still operating his business in Chicago. Ruben Gallego changed his last name from MarineLarena, to his mother’s maiden name of Gallego to escape his father’s shadow. However, Ruben Gallego’s lies about his family raise questions about whether Ruben Gallego is truly estranged from his father.

On October 3rd, Ruben Gallego responded to Kari Lake’s multiple comments about Gallego’s father being a convicted felon due to being found guilty on charges of drug trafficking for the Mexican cartels, saying his dad “Is a convicted drug dealer and it’s a stain that our family has had to carry.” Gallego has also stated that he barely knew his father and that his father “abandoned” his family.

However, Ruben Gallego’s book, “They Called Us Lucky,” published in 2021, tells a different story. Gallego wrote in his book that “When I was two, we went to Mexico to help my ailing grandmother, who was living on a small farm in the mountains of Chihuahua; we stayed until I was in second grade. At that point, my father brought us back to Chicago and opened a small construction business. When the school year was over, I’d generally go back to Mexico to help on the farm, cultivating beans, watermelon, and corn.”

It is important to note that the area of Chihuahua, Mexico, is connected to the Juárez Cartel. Gallego’s father,Jose Angel MarineLarena, was arrested in Chicago in 1996 on drug trafficking charges related to his drug smuggling for the Juárez Cartel. Arrest records show that Jose Angel MarineLarena had $481,000 worth of drugs in his Chicago den when he was arrested.

Green card records show that at the time of his arrest, Gallego’s father was a resident alien from Chihuahua, Mexico. It is interesting to note that despite his drug trafficking arrest, the Immigration Naturalization Services (INS) and DHS did not deport MarineLarena.

More questions arise regarding Ruben Gallego’s past statements about his father “abandoning” his family as photos from Ruben Gallego’s wedding appear to show Gallego’s father, Jose Angel MarineLarena, in attendance.

Ruben Gallego also appears to be lying about his family’s finances. In “They Called Us Lucky,” Gallego wrote that his father’s construction business failed when he was in junior high. However, business records from May 2024 show that Gallego’s father is still operating his business, JLC Group INC, in Chicago.

Ruben Gallego changed his last name from MarineLarena, to his mother’s maiden name of Gallego to escape his father’s shadow. However, Ruben Gallego’s lies raise questions about whether Ruben Gallego is truly estranged from his father. With fentanyl and open borders being among the top issues in the Arizona United States Senate election, Gallego owes it to voters to explain the true nature of the relationship between him and his cartel-connected father.