Thirteen members of a prison-based methamphetamine distribution ring sentenced

ROME, Ga. – Thirteen members of a prison-based methamphetamine distribution ring have been convicted and sentenced. Before they were identified by federal agents, state inmates Edward Kelvin Pope, David Wilson, and Kevin Josue Campos Rivera coordinated with Jose Santos Isaola Cisneros, a federal inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Atlanta, to distribute methamphetamine to couriers and customers throughout north Georgia. At the time of the offense, Pope, also known as “Paw Paw,” was a 68-year-old felon serving life imprisonment plus 70 years for armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.                                                                                                                

“From behind prison walls, these defendants egregiously continued to violate the law by coordinating the distribution of massive amounts of methamphetamine throughout north Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The prison sentences imposed in this case without the possibility of parole follow a multiyear, closely coordinated partnership among federal, state, and local law enforcement to protect our communities from the spread of deadly drugs.”

“Methamphetamine continues to fuel addiction, violence, and instability in our communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Field Division. “These defendants believed they could orchestrate a drug trafficking organization from inside a correctional facility, but the sentences show that law enforcement will pursue traffickers wherever they operate. DEA will continue working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle networks responsible for distributing dangerous drugs.”

“The U.S. Marshals Service, in conjunction with our partners at the DEA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and state agencies, will never stop in our efforts to bring criminals to justice,” said Chief Deputy John B. Stevens, U.S. Marshals Service, Northern District of Georgia.  “It doesn’t matter if you are already in custody, if you continue to violate the laws of the United States, we will come for you, and you will be held accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The investigation began in November 2020 when law enforcement learned that Pope and Wilson were using couriers outside of Central State Prison in Macon, Georgia, to distribute methamphetamine to customers in and around the metro Atlanta area. Agents identified other inmates involved in the methamphetamine ring, including Isaola, a federal inmate, and Campos Rivera, a fellow state inmate at Central State Prison. The investigation also identified Marcelo Ibarra, a distributor who sold kilogram quantities of methamphetamine on behalf of Isaola to various customers.  

The investigation established that the organization repeatedly distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in north Georgia, including:

• On April 30, 2021, Pope, Wilson, and Isaola supplied Ibarra with approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine that Ibarra distributed at a gas station in Cartersville, Georgia.
• On June 14, 2021, Wilson and Campos Rivera conspired with Luis Cisneros Ruiz to sell approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine that Cisneros Ruiz distributed in a restaurant parking lot in Stockbridge, Georgia. Two weeks later, agents searched Cisneros Ruiz’s residence in Stockbridge, Georgia, where they found an active methamphetamine conversion lab and seized more than 3,000 kilograms of methamphetamine.
• On August 11, 2021, Wilson and Campos Rivera conspired with Carlos Ruben Ramirez Romero to supply approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine to a drug customer who was actually an undercover DEA agent. Agents later searched Ramirez’s apartment in Norcross, Georgia, and located approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, $49,000 in bulk U.S. currency, and a rifle.

The following defendants were sentenced in this case:

• Jose Santos Isaola Cisneros, 35, of Hampton, Georgia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Ramon Rodriguez, Jr., 46, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by twenty years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
• Carlos Ruben Ramirez Romero, 41, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to 19 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• David Wilson, 53, of Carrolton, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 years, and four months in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Kevin Josue Campos Rivera, 27, of Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Gustavo Omar Martinez, 37, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
• Luis Cisneros Ruiz, 27, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to 12 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.      
• Edward Kelvin Pope, 72, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced to serve ten years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Marcelo Ibarra, 33, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years six months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Julio Estuardo Mijangos Chinchilla, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to six years five months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Kelyn Roxana Ortiz Flores, 36, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, after pleading guilty to assault of a federal agent and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering.
• Max Donald Whitlock, 55, of Nicholson, Georgia, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Oscar Valdez Samaniego, 45, of Rex, Georgia, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Cartersville Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel B. Milam and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua May prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

These prosecutions are also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.