Biography — Ernesto Ruffo Appel
Ernesto Guillermo Ruffo Appel was born in San Diego in 1952 and was raised in Ensenada. He is the eldest of five siblings, son of Ernesto Ruffo Sandoval, founder of Empacadora Baja California — one of the region's most important fishing companies — and Olga Appel Crosthwaite.
He studied Business Administration at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
In 1972, the Fisheries Law under the Luis Echeverría administration forced his father to hand the cannery over to its workers.
Business career and entry into politics
He built his early career in Ensenada's fishing industry, holding executive roles at Pesquera Zapata and representing the fish-meal and fish-oil sector. He joined Pesquera Zapata in 1976 and within a decade rose from personnel chief to general director. He became involved in Ensenada's Coparmex chapter, which he came to preside over in 1983.
He joined the National Action Party (PAN) in the early 1980s.
State and municipal public service
He served as municipal president of Ensenada from 1986 to 1989. He won the Baja California governorship in 1989 by approximately 41,000 votes. He served as governor of Baja California from 1989 to 1995.
The family archive describes his governorship as an institutional laboratory: a state electoral institute created in 1994 and a photo voter ID card it presents as pioneering in the country, a state human-rights ombudsman's office promoted in 1990, waterworks, and an active push for foreign investment, particularly from Japan and Korea.
Federal career
During the Vicente Fox administration, he held federal responsibilities concerning northern border and migration affairs. He later served in the Senate (2012–2018), focusing on border affairs and fisheries, and then as a member of the LXIV Legislature in the Chamber of Deputies (2018–2021).
Current civic and procedural status
In February 2026 he was named to Somos México's Citizen Consultative Council and said he had not resigned from the PAN.
Ernesto Ruffo returned home to Ensenada on September 28, 2026, where family and supporters welcomed him, according to La Jornada and ZETA. After leaving Altiplano on September 26, he completed the road transfer and continues his defense under home detention. Sources reviewed October 3, 2026: criminal proceedings continue; being home does not mean unrestricted freedom and is not an acquittal or a determination of guilt. Sources: Ruffo Appel arrives home in Ensenada and thanks the National Guard — La Jornada · Mireya Cuéllar; Ernesto Ruffo speaks on arrival in Ensenada — ZETA · Lorena Lamas; Ernesto Ruffo leaves Altiplano for home detention in Ensenada — La Jornada · Gustavo Castillo García e Israel Dávila; Judge closes Ernesto Ruffo's amparo following the change to home detention — ZETA · Luis Carlos Sáinz. Last verified: .
No newer court development was confirmed in this search. The separately dated legal-status record remains unchanged; the editorial update is not a new legal verification.
References to crimes describe allegations and procedural stages. Being linked to proceedings is not a conviction. No guilty judgment has been issued, and the presumption of innocence applies.