DALLAS - Diego Morales-Ramirez, 25, a citizen of Mexico and in the United States illegally, was sentenced Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.
Morales-Ramirez was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in August 2017 to one count of possession with intent to distribute a schedule II controlled substance, said substance being 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Morales-Ramirez will be deported following completion of his prison term. He has been in custody since his arrest in March 2017.
According to documents filed in the case, on Feb. 3, 2017, Morales-Ramirez was stopped by a police officer for failing to signal while changing lanes. During the stop Morales-Ramirez was extremely nervous and a K-9 alerted to the presence of a controlled substance inside the vehicle. Also during the stop it was learned that Morales-Ramirez was inside the United States illegally and that he had been previously deported. Morales-Ramirez was advised he was going to be detained for being illegally present in the United States and officers offered to return his vehicle and some of his personal items to the apartment he just came from.
Upon arrival Morales-Ramirez gave officers consent to search his apartment. Before officers entered the apartment Morales-Ramirez said there was a gray bin on the right side with “stuff" in it. Upon opening the gray bin officers found several bags containing a crystal like substance that field tested positive for 10.97 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The offices of Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Task Force Officers from the Rowlett and Fate Police Departments investigated and assisted in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal prosecuted.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
