CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in up to 3 states was convicted by a jury on December 6, 2019, after a 3-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.
Jose Carlos Ramirez-Martinez, 31, from Denison, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The verdict was returned following about two hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that Ramirez-Martinez was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from October 2015 through September 2016, from the Denison, Iowa, area. Evidence showed that Ramirez-Martinez would often have co-conspirators travel for him from Denison to Worthington, Minnesota to deliver ½ lb quantities of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator for further re-distribution in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ramirez-Martinez was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the verdict was returned and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Ramirez-Martinez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Buffalo Ridge Task Force (Worthington/ Nobles County, Minnesota); and the Internal Revenue Service.
Illegals!