Ringleader of Extensive Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Network Sentenced | USAO-EDVA

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia – The leader of a large drug trafficking ring was sentenced today to 33 years in prison for distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in Newport News and North Carolina.

“This defendant had significant leadership roles as the regional heroin, fentanyl and cocaine dealer for the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most productive and violent cartels in the world,” said Raj Parekh, acting US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “EDVA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to fight these transnational criminal organizations to protect the health and safety of our communities.”

According to court records, Ramiro Ramirez-Barreto, 44, of the Mexican state of Morelos ran an ongoing criminal enterprise with ties to Virginia, North Carolina and California. Ramirez-Barreto was affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, as were its drug sources, and his operation supplied cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to numerous drug trafficking organizations in Newport News, Virginia, and Henderson and Greensboro, North Carolina. According to one of Ramirez-Barreto’s many North Carolina-based customers, Ramirez-Barreto provided him with 60 kilograms of heroin from early 2018 to mid-2019. Another Ramirez-Barreto customer was a federal prison inmate who runs a drug trafficking organization in Henderson, North Carolina with a stolen cell phone.

In addition to his sentence, Ramirez-Barreto was sentenced to pay a $ 4,200,000 sentence and forfeit his Lawrenceville home.

Barreto was arrested in 2019 for Operation Cookout.

Background information on Operation Cookout

In August 2019, over 120 law enforcement officers from 30 law enforcement agencies in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas conducted a major operation called Operation Cookout that detained 35 defendants for their respective roles in the conspiracy, along with the seizure of 24 firearms, 30 kilograms of fentanyl , 30 kilograms of heroin, 5 kilograms of cocaine and over $ 700,000 in cash.

To date, a total of 45 defendants have been charged under Operation Cookout. All 45 defendants admitted their criminal behavior and pleaded guilty. To date, 41 defendants have been convicted, most of them sentenced to between two and ten years’ imprisonment and five of them between 15 and 25 years in prison.

These charges are part of an investigation by an Organized Crime Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the senior drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence, and inter-agency approach that counteracts the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies criminal networks.

Raj Parekh, Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Representative for Homeland Security Investigations for the US Immigration and Customs Services (HSI) Washington DC; Jarod Forget, Washington Division special adviser to the Drug Enforcement Administration; Darrell J. Waldon, acting special adviser, Washington, DC Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Col. Gary T. Settle, superintendent of the Virginia State Police; Steve R. Drew, Newport News Police chief; Mark Talbot, chief of police in Hampton; Colonel KL Wright, Chesapeake Police Chief; and Hampton Commonwealths attorney Anton A. Bell, announced after being convicted by US District Judge David J. Novak.

US Assistant Attorneys Kevin Hudson and Peter G. Osyf and Kevin Hudson and US Attorney Amy E. Cross’ s special assistants are following the case.

The following law enforcement agencies provided significant assistance during the investigations and arrests: U.S. Marshals Service, Newport News Sheriff’s Office, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office, York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Amarillo Police, and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. About 30 law enforcement agencies helped with the arrest operation in Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.

A copy of this news release is available on the US Attorney’s website for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia website or on PACER by searching for Case # 4: 19-cr-47.