Wilmington Man Receives 13 Years In Federal Prison for Drug Distribution

RALEIGH, N.C. – Miguel Angel Ramos, age 31, from Wilmington, NC was sentenced today in Federal District Court in Raleigh, NC.  Ramos was sentenced to a total of 156 months in prison for the distribution of a quantity of fentanyl on July 25, 2019 in Wilmington, NC. 

According to Court documents and information presented at today’s hearing, in July 2019, agents with the Wilmington Safe Street Task Force (WSSTF) conducted two controlled purchases of suspected heroin from Ramos.  On July 17, 2019, under the supervision of agents with WSSTF, a confidential source (CI) purchased heroin from Ramos.  The CI contacted Ramos and arranged a meeting with Ramos to purchase heroin at a gas station in the Greenfield Lake area of Wilmington.  The CI met Ramos and purchased 50 bags of suspected heroin for $300.00.  On July 25, 2019, law enforcement conducted a second controlled purchase of suspected heroin from Ramos.  The CI met Ramos at a convenience store on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington.  The CI purchased 98 bags of suspected heroin for $500.00.  In each instance, the suspected heroin tested positive as fentanyl after being sent to the lab for analysis.  Ramos has prior state convictions for the possession of narcotics with the intent to sell or deliver and a prior state conviction for trafficking in opium or heroin.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Wilmington Safe Streets Task Force, Wilmington Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt  prosecuted the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation and the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-cr-00012-D.