Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Gilbert Ramirez, a 27-year-old from Sacramento, was sentenced to over 16 years in prison by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Troy L. Nunley. The charges included conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, along with distribution of these substances. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced the sentencing.
Court documents reveal that between April and July 2022, Ramirez and his co-defendant Michael Valentino Lovato, 36, were involved in selling large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl within Sacramento County. Previously, on October 24, 2024, Lovato received a sentence of nearly 20 years.
The investigation leading to this prosecution was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin F. Scott handled the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aiming to reduce violent crime through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and community organizations. It is part of a broader strategy by the U.S. Department of Justice launched on May 26, 2021.
Additionally, this prosecution is linked to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. This program establishes multi-agency task force teams that work collaboratively on intelligence-driven operations targeting major drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations within the Eastern District of California.
