Judging by the events of the past week, drugs may be easier to find in prison than on the street. At least two majors Drone Federal agents shut down drug deliveries that transport on-demand drugs to prisons last week. Not only did the drones deliver weed, but weed-mimicking spice/K2 drugs, butane oil, and a variety of other drugs and contraband.
US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California Publication a press release On Thursday, it was announced that four defendants had been charged in schemes to deliver drugs to prisons via drones.
- Michael Ray Acosta, 48 — already an inmate at Pleasant Valley State Prison — is charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and will face federal racketeering charges.
- Jose Enrique Oropeza, 34, of Colton, California, is charged with conspiracy to own and operate an unregistered drone and several other counts.
- Rosendo Rene Ramirez, 34, of Sacramento, is charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs with an unregistered drone and several other charges, in addition to the use of firearms.
- David Ramirez Jr., 34, of Sacramento, is charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs and several other counts.
“According to court documents, between January 1 and December 10, 2021, Acosta used a contraband cell phone to coordinate multiple drone deliveries of contraband to Pleasant Valley State Prison and other prisons across the state,” the attorney general’s office wrote, adding that the other three men had Operating a fleet of drones to deliver drugs.
Oropeza, Rosendo Ramirez, and David Ramirez Jr. flew drones over the prisons and dropped packages of contraband into the prisons. Acosta and his cohorts then retrieve the contraband for distribution to the prison inmates. The packages that Acosta helped smuggle into the prisons included methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, cell phones, and accessories. Mobile phones, butane oil and miscellaneous items.
If convicted of the conspiracy charges, the defendants face a maximum legal penalty of 10 years in prison to life and fines of up to $10 million. If convicted of drug possession with intent to distribute, the defendants face a legal penalty of between 5 and 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Since Rosendo Rene Ramirez is a felon and owns a firearm, he faces additional charges that he can face another 10 years and fines on top of his sentence.
Using more drones to deliver medicines
Meanwhile, another team of criminals allegedly used drones to deliver drugs to the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth. In the process, six more were indicted on drug charges.
The six people face a variety of conspiracy and drug possession charges. Dale Javier III and Melvin Edwards – already in prison on other charges – allegedly arranged with four other people outside the prison to deliver the drugs. Between August 2020 and May 2021, medicines were available upon request, and inmates in the prison yard could request certain medicines, Wichita Eagle reports.
- Dale Javier III, 35, of Omaha, Nebraska.
- Del Gavier II, 54, originally from Omaha, Nebraska.
- Joshua Hamilton, 37, is originally from Omaha, Nebraska.
- Rex Hill 33, from Riverside, California.
- Melvin Edwards, 44, of Riverside, California.
- Tamara Holman, 36, from Riverside, California.
The drone delivery operation involved men who allegedly delivered drugs to the prison via drones, Sacramento Bee reports. In this case, drones delivered Spice/K2 drugs, marijuana, cigarettes, and cell phones to the prison.
This prison is particularly notable because It housed the first people arrested for weed under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.
Court documents do not include the names of the defendants’ attorneys.
