BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Alfredo Alonso Ramirez, 24, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to import liquid methamphetamine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward H. White, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on Feb. 18, 2016, Customs and Border Protection officers searched a Federal Express overnight international mail package sent from Mexico to Alfredo Alonso Ramirez at 5461 McLernon Road in East Bethany, NY. Officers discovered two bottles containing approximately 851.6 grams (approximately 30 ounces) of a liquid substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
On Feb. 22, 2016, an undercover law enforcement officer delivered a package containing sham liquid methamphetamine to the listed address. The defendant accepted the package at the residence. Officers then executed a search warrant at the residence and the package with the two bottles of sham liquid methamphetamine was found opened on the first floor of the house. Ramirez was later arrested.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being detained.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Hilmey, Acting Director of Field Operations.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
