Two illegal aliens from Mt. Dora, Mario Perez-Ramos, 33, and Ansonitc Torres-Ibarra, 34, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a high-volume methamphetamine distribution ring that flooded Lake County with dangerous narcotics. U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore handed down 87 months to Perez-Ramos and 78 months to Torres-Ibarra, both of whom have been locked up since their arrest in December 2018.
The sentence follows guilty pleas entered on January 24, 2019, after federal agents caught the pair red-handed in the parking lot of a Mt. Dora motel. Surveillance teams from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) watched as the defendants transferred two kilograms of pure methamphetamine—worth tens of thousands of dollars on the street—to what they believed was a buyer. It was, in fact, an undercover law enforcement officer ready to shut the deal down.
Court documents detail a coordinated operation stretching across state lines, part of a larger international drug trafficking network that exploited underground supply chains to move massive quantities of meth into Central Florida. The drugs were destined for local street-level dealers, threatening neighborhoods already battling addiction and overdose spikes.
“These individuals were members of an international money laundering drug trafficking organization who sold dangerous drugs in our community,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “After they are held accountable for these crimes in U.S. prison, they will be deported to Mexico.”
The investigation was a joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Agents used surveillance, wire intercepts, and undercover operations to dismantle the cell operating under the radar in the Mount Dora area. Authorities believe the network imported drugs from Mexico through complex smuggling routes involving stash houses and cash couriers.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta prosecuted the case. Both Perez-Ramos and Torres-Ibarra face mandatory deportation upon completion of their sentences, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) already preparing removal proceedings. The case underscores the federal crackdown on transnational drug operations exploiting immigration status to evade detection.
Related Federal Cases
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- James Adelbert Walker II Gets 11 Years for Meth Conspiracy · Florida
- James Kamisky Gets 20 Years in Meth Conspiracy · Georgia
- Dallas Man Scooter Sentenced in Florida Meth Conspiracy · Texas
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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