Veteran Marine Admits To Leading Drug Trafficking Ring That Smuggled Cocaine Into US

Angel Dominguez Ramirez Jr., a US Marine veteran, admitted to leading a drug trafficking operation that involved moving tons of cocaine into the US from South America.

Ramirez Jr., who is a dual US-Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy and a drug trafficking conspiracy in San Diego federal court Wednesday, reported ABC News. He said in his plea agreement that he was the leader of an organization that used commercial vehicles, airplanes and boats to transport cocaine into Mexico and then take them over the Texas and California borders for the purpose of distribution. He added that he was responsible for coordinating the flow of cash from profits made from drug sales in America back to Mexico.

According to an indictment, while working with powerful drug cartels, his military training turned out to be an asset.

His organization that was built through cooperative alliances with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, the Cartel del Golfo, the Beltran Leyva Organization, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Los Zetas, not only moved huge quantities of marijuana and cocaine into the US, but it was also used by leaders of other drug trafficking organizations to move illegal drugs into America.

In 2016, he was arrested in Mexico and extradited to San Diego three years later. This case is part of an operation of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) that identifies, disrupts and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten America, a Department of Justice press release stated.

Acting United States Attorney Randy Grossman said that the guilty plea shows that "this office, together with its law enforcement partners, will continue to hold accountable those who are importing huge quantities of dangerous drugs" into the US. He thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), prosecutor Kyle Martin, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for working on this case.

Chad Plantz, acting Special Agent in-charge of HSI in San Diego said that Ramirez Jr.'s guilty plea "demonstrates the enormous value of strong international and domestic law enforcement partnerships." He added that the "successful prosecution is the culmination of years of investigative effort by HSI special agents" and their partners, to uncover and dismantle his drug trafficking operations.

DEA San Diego Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe said that they won't stop targeting high-level people and organizations who contribute to addiction and death in America for "their monetary gain."