Driver convicted for hauling $2.2M in meth, fentanyl

A truck driver was convicted of drug trafficking offenses after a five-day jury trial in Pennsylvania late last week. 

65-year-old truck driver, David Jusino Ramirez, was convicted on October 29th after the discovery of large amounts of drugs in his trailer on October 8th near Hazelton, Pennsylvania. 

According to the United States Department of Justice, Ramirez was involved in an ongoing drug trafficking scheme transporting illegal drugs from California to Pennsylvania, of which the Drug enforcement Administration was aware. In this particular case, Ramirez, along with a man named Julio Romero-Mancebo, transported 264 pounds of pure crystal methamphetamine and 6.6 pounds of fentanyl from Montebello, California to a truck stop near Hazelton, Pennsylvania. There, Ramirez and Mancebo met with Emmanuel Roman-Figueroa, who paid them $28,000 for the methamphetamine. 

DEA Agents, along with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Hazelton Police Department, witnessed the exchange after tracking the shipment and promptly arrested all three individuals. Investigators then seized an additional $9,000 from Roman-Figueroa’s residence. $371,000 had previously been seized from Roman-Figueroa back in July 2020. 

During the trial, a DEA expert witness testified that the seized drugs had an approximate street value upwards of $2.2 million, and that the fentanyl found in the trailer had the potential to yield more than 100,000 doses. 

Ramirez was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 400 grams of fentanyl. 

 “We hope this sends a message to traffickers that we will prosecute to the full extent of the law anybody who brings these deadly and addictive substances into our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brandler.  “We will work tirelessly to safeguard our communities from drugs like crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl.  With overdose deaths at record highs, successful investigations that result in these kinds of seizures and convictions save lives.”