Mission man imprisoned for trafficking cocaine in truck dashboard

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 43-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for trafficking cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

A federal jury convicted Juan Pablo Ramirez July 12 following a one-day trial for possession with the intent to distribute 5000 grams of cocaine.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Ramirez to serve 108 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. The court heard details about his criminal history including his conviction for distributing meth. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the amount of drugs involved in the offense as well as his prior federal conviction for drug trafficking.

On Jan. 19, Ramirez drove his truck to the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. At initial inspection, Ramirez consented to a z-portal examination of his truck. It revealed anomalies in his truck dashboard which turned out to be five packages of cocaine.

The street value of the cocaine was approximately $100,000.

Ramirez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, Jim Wells Police Department and Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Martin, John Lamont and John Marck prosecuted the case.