Johnny Ramirez, Meth and Heroin Sales, New Mexico 2015

Johnny Ramirez, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., is headed to federal prison for seven years after admitting to selling meth and heroin to an FBI informant in 2015. Sentenced today to 84 months behind bars, Ramirez will face an additional four years of supervised release when he walks out of prison.

The charges stem from an eight-count indictment unsealed Dec. 1, 2015, targeting Ramirez and co-defendant Larry Valadez, also 34 and of Albuquerque. Both men were caught in a federal sting operation tied to the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin across Bernalillo County during May and June of that year. All counts allege drug activity concentrated in the heart of the city.

Ramirez pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2016, to two counts of meth distribution and one count of heroin distribution. In court, he admitted to arranging a May 19, 2015 deal where a co-conspirator sold 23.52 grams of meth and 4.3 grams of heroin to an individual cooperating with the FBI. He also confessed to personally selling 14.71 grams of meth to the same informant on June 16, 2015—all transactions occurring in Albuquerque.

Valadez followed suit, entering his guilty plea on Sept. 9, 2016, for distributing the same drugs and violating the terms of his supervised release from a prior conviction. He admitted to selling 23.52 grams of meth and 4.3 grams of heroin on May 19, 2015. His sentence is set at 69 months, with supervised release to be determined at a hearing yet to be scheduled.

The case was built by the FBI’s Albuquerque field office and the New Mexico State Police, part of a coordinated push under the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. Launched in January 2015 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM Health Sciences Center, HOPE targets the opioid crisis that has ravaged communities across the state with deadly frequency.

HOPE’s strategy includes prevention, treatment, law enforcement action, reentry support, and strategic planning. Led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA, the initiative prioritizes taking down major heroin and opioid trafficking networks. For more on HOPE’s mission and partnerships with groups like HAC, DEA, and Albuquerque Public Schools, visit HopeInitiativeNM.org.