Lancaster County Woman Convicted Of Conspiracy To Distribute Cocaine

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Moniqua Ramirez, age 44, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine following a three-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson that concluded on November 15, 2023.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Ramirez conspired with others to smuggle kilograms of cocaine into Central Pennsylvania through the U.S. Mail. The cocaine was shipped in Puerto Rico and mailed to various drop locations in Lancaster, where the parcels were retrieved by conspirators for further distribution. They also engaged in street level drug trafficking, including selling heroin and fentanyl to customers. The conspirators transported cash back to Puerto Rico in furtherance of the trafficking.

Ramirez’s coconspirators, Ricardo Soto, Jonathan Lopez Arizmendi, Ricky Sanchez, Angel Leon-Rivera, Omar Carmenaty Morales, and Lucas Doel Gonzalez-Alvarado, pleaded guilty.  On January 19, 2023, Ricardo Soto was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Jonathan Arizmendi, Ricky Sanchez, Angel Leon-Rivera, Omar Carmenaty Morales, and Lucas Doel Gonzalez-Alvarado are awaiting sentencing.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Pennsylvania State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Lancaster County Drug Task Force and York County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Consiglio and Christian Haugsby are prosecuting the case.

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