ALBUQUERQUE - A federal jury sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., returned a verdict yesterday afternoon finding Colorado Springs, Colo., resident Leroy Tchod Cameron Ravenell, 28, guilty on a cocaine trafficking charge after a three-day trial. Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division and Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey D. Self of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector announced the verdict.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Ravenell on Nov. 11, 2016, after finding approximately.36 kilograms (.8 pounds) of cocaine and two firearms concealed in his vehicle during an inspection at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Alamogordo, N.M., in Otero County, N.M. Ravenell, who initially was charged in a criminal complaint, subsequently was indicted on May 17, 2017, and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Ravenell’s trial began on July 31, 2017, and concluded yesterday afternoon when the jury returned a guilty verdict against Ravenell on the sole count of the indictment.
The testimony at trial established that on Nov. 11, 2016, Ravenell was a passenger in his vehicle when it was driven into the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 54 south of Alamogordo. During a routine inspection of Ravenell’s vehicle, Border Patrol agents found approximately 243 grams of cocaine hidden in a small box and two firearms. Agents also located a large amount of cash on Ravenell’s person. Testimony during the trial established that Ravenell made a statement to law enforcement that he had bought the cocaine from another person in a parking lot in El Paso, Tex., on the morning of Nov. 11, 2016, with the intention of selling the cocaine to others.
The jury deliberated approximately three hours before returning its guilty verdict.
Ravenell was remanded into custody after the verdict was returned and will remain detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Ravenell faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the U.S. Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Balla and Richard C. Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
