Inmate led a meth distribution conspiracy from his prison cell, at least 2,000 pounds of meth distributed
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — An inmate of the Lawton Correctional Facility in Oklahoma was sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene and Polk Counties while he was incarcerated.
Joshua A. Ramirez, 39, who has no legal address, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, May 7, to 26 years in federal prison without parole. Ramirez was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Aug. 16, 2023, Ramirez pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted that he facilitated large methamphetamine transactions from within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Ramirez used drug couriers to transport methamphetamine and collect proceeds from several co-conspirators in southwest Missouri and elsewhere. He used a source of supply in Juarez, Mexico.
According to court documents, Ramirez is responsible for the distribution of 907 kilograms of methamphetamine.
During the time of this drug-trafficking conspiracy, Ramirez was serving a state felony sentence in Oklahoma for distributing a controlled substance, waiting to be released and transferred to federal custody to begin serving a 20-year prison sentence in a separate and unrelated case for distributing a controlled substance in the Northern District of Texas.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by HSI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Springfield Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; and the El Dorado Springs Police Department.
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