A 48-year-old Mexican national living in Donna was sentenced on July 23 to serve 72 months in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Hector Rodriguez-Ramos pleaded guilty on Dec. 30, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Rodriguez-Ramos’s sentence and noted that, as he is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings after completing his imprisonment.
The case involved Rodriguez-Ramos recruiting another individual in 2024 to act as a drug courier for the organization. Authorities said he arranged for this person’s vehicle to be fitted with a hidden compartment at a car shop associated with the conspiracy. Law enforcement discovered the operation after finding 14 kilograms of cocaine concealed within that compartment.
Investigators determined that Rodriguez-Ramos coordinated multiple drug deliveries and personally completed at least one run while communicating with other members of the organization during these events. He has remained in custody and will be transferred soon to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and Yasmine Tucker prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas has offices in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville; employs more than 200 attorneys; covers over nine million residents across 43 counties; focuses on prosecuting federal crimes and handling civil cases for the government; operates under the Attorney General as part of the Department of Justice; and has included leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani among its former heads, according to information available from its official website and history page.