Alejandro Ramirez-Suarez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2014

Alejandro Ramirez-Suarez, 38, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his role in a sprawling methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that pumped crystal meth into the streets of San Jose between 2013 and 2014. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh, marks the end of a years-long investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and federal prosecutors.

The conviction stems from a network that moved kilos of meth across the South Bay, with Ramirez-Suarez acting as a key distributor. According to trial evidence, he obtained bulk shipments—like the five kilograms, referred to as “a hand,” he ordered via text on March 22, 2014—from co-defendant Juan Cervantes Aguilar. Ramirez-Suarez not only sold to his own buyers but also moved product for Cervantes, then repaid him in cash from drug sales.

The operation ran like a criminal enterprise: after receiving deliveries, Ramirez-Suarez laundered proceeds and funneled money south of the border. On multiple occasions, he obtained acetone—a chemical used in meth production—and sent wire transfers to co-conspirators in Mexico, deepening his ties to the transnational drug trade.

Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Wawrzyniak and Shailika Kotiya, secured the conviction after a five-day jury trial in August 2018. A federal grand jury had indicted Ramirez-Suarez on April 14, 2016, charging him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1).

Alongside the prison term, Judge Koh imposed a five-year period of supervised release. Ramirez-Suarez has been in custody since his conviction on August 17, 2018, and will serve his sentence without delay. His co-defendant, Juan Cervantes Aguilar, pleaded guilty on September 20, 2017, and was sentenced to 156 months in prison on April 4, 2018, followed by five years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the DEA as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency effort targeting major drug trafficking rings. Support from Laurie Worthen, Linda Love, and Kolin Singh helped bring the prosecution to trial, underscoring the federal government’s push to dismantle organized drug networks from the inside out.