Miguel Angel Gaytan-Ramirez, a 34-year-old undocumented Mexican national residing in Phoenix, has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa and includes three years of supervised release following the prison term. Gaytan-Ramirez had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl on November 5, 2024.

Court documents reveal that on January 25, 2024, an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) negotiated the purchase of approximately 150,000 fentanyl pills from a member of a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico. The agent was instructed to meet at a parking lot in Phoenix for the transaction.

Investigators identified a Dodge Ram pickup truck at the location as being associated with the drug trafficking organization. Gaytan-Ramirez contacted the undercover agent claiming he was inside the vehicle. Investigators then detained him.

Upon his detention, investigators discovered an apartment used by Gaytan-Ramirez for storing narcotics. With his consent, they searched the apartment and found significant quantities of drugs and weapons: about 74.9 pounds of fentanyl pills stamped M30, 17.6 pounds of fentanyl powder, and 41.9 pounds of cocaine were seized along with a rifle and over $18,000 in cash linked to drug proceeds.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph K. Nwoga and Stuart J. Zander from the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.