Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Pedro Cesar Ramos-Cruz, a 33-year-old Cuban national, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to bring aliens into the United States, illegal reentry after removal, and possession of a firearm by an alien. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated, “This case is another shining example of the great success of the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America and fulfills the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to stop the flow of illegal immigration into our country. This criminal alien not only repeatedly illegally entered our country, but he also endangered our communities by smuggling other illegal aliens into and throughout the United States, while in possession of stolen firearms. My office will aggressively prosecute these offenders to keep our communities safe.”
According to court records, Ramos-Cruz was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers who found him with an alien smuggling ledger, 20 foreign passports, $13,709 in cash, narcotics, and stolen firearms. Homeland Security Investigations determined that Ramos-Cruz had previously been deported from the United States in both 2019 and 2020. Further investigation revealed that he worked with the Gulf Cartel and was involved in smuggling individuals from Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Colombia into the United States.
Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno commented on the case: “This criminal illegal alien repeatedly violated our nations laws, possessed stolen firearms, narcotics, and smuggled people in and throughout the United States like a commodity, with no regard for their safety or wellbeing. HSI Tallahassee, and our federal, state and local partners, will use every tool at our disposal to stop this kind of criminal conduct and keep our communities safe.”
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass added: “What started as a simple traffic stop ended with the takedown of a Gulf Cartel-linked human smuggler who had been moving people across the southern border during the Biden administration and into Florida. We don’t just make arrests—FDLE picks up the rock and looks at what’s crawling underneath. We run the long, protracted, multi-jurisdictional cases that follow the trail across state lines, across borders, and straight to the people fueling these criminal networks. I’m proud of our agents’ relentless work on this case and their commitment to keeping Florida safe.”
After serving his prison sentence, Ramos-Cruz will face deportation proceedings as an ICE detainer has been placed against him.
The investigation involved several agencies including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and Florida Highway Patrol.
Former Assistant United States Attorney Corey J. Smith along with Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody prosecuted this case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which is a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice focused on combating illegal immigration as well as dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through collaboration among multiple law enforcement programs such as OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices nationwide responsible for prosecuting federal crimes under direction from the Attorney General; more information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
