Alexandria, Va. – In a shocking case of international drug trafficking, Jose Ramon Felix Meza, 52, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving the distribution of kilogram-level amounts of illegal drugs on behalf of co-conspirators located overseas and throughout the United States.
According to court documents, Meza traveled to Northern Virginia in June 2018 with Gilberto Paz Madrid, 33, another citizen of Mexico, to distribute controlled substances on behalf of co-conspirators located in Mexico, the Washington, D.C. area, and elsewhere. Following a successful operation, law enforcement agents from Homeland Security Investigations interdicted and seized nearly 9 kilograms of heroin.
In June 2018, the Virginia State Police attempted a traffic stop of a sport utility vehicle that Madrid was driving (with Meza as his passenger) along the Capital Beltway after they paid thousands of dollars for what they believed were numerous bricks of illicit narcotics. Madrid accelerated away from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle. Madrid and Meza’s vehicle collided into several cars, yet they continued to flee from law enforcement until officers successfully arrested both individuals.
Madrid was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 4. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Virginia State Police as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The exact charges against Meza include participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving the distribution of kilogram-level amounts of illegal drugs on behalf of co-conspirators located overseas and throughout the United States. Meza was arrested in June 2018, and the case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Virginia State Police. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Meza was sentenced to 10 years in prison following the successful operation and arrest of the two individuals. The exact date of the crime was June 2018, and the exact date of the sentencing was not specified in the press release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, G. Zachary Terwilliger, announced the sentencing after Meza was convicted of the charges.
A copy of the press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-317.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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