Dallas Man Sentenced To A Total Of 240 Months In Federal Prison For Role In Heroin Distribution Conspiracies

DALLAS — Refugio Ramirez-Garcia, aka “Cuco,” “Refugio,” “Miguel,” and “Arturo Ramirez,” 35, of Dallas, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to serve a total of 240 months in federal prison for his role in heroin distribution conspiracies that he operated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

Ramirez-Garcia pleaded guilty in January 2013 to his role in both conspiracies.  In one case, he admitted that he was involved in a conspiracy, in 2006 and 2007, with co-defendants, Martin Laguna, Francisco Laguna, Marco Antonio Romero, Jaun Curz Puerto and Timothy Ryan Daniels, to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.  His co-defendants received sentences ranging from 15 months to 180 months in federal prison.  In the other case, he admitted that from August 2010 to August 2012 he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute heroin.  In fact, when he was arrested on August 8, 2012, he was in possession of approximately 10 ounces of black tar heroin.

During the course of the earlier conspiracy, Ramirez-Garcia distributed heroin to his co-defendants and other individuals.  By way of example only, in late March 2006, officers with the Dallas Police Department executed a search warrant at Ramirez-Garcia’s apartment in Dallas and seized:  2,353 grams of black tar heroin; 3.6 grams of powder cocaine; $66,760 in cash and three digital scales.  Ramirez-Garcia admitted the cash seized from his apartment was proceeds from heroin sales.

The cases were investigated by the Coppell, Dallas and Farmers Branch Police Departments, the Dallas Independent School District Police Department – Criminal Investigations Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keith Robinson and Aisha Saleem prosecuted.