California Men Sentenced to Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

Jackson, Miss. – Ernestor Ramirez Garcia, 28, of Los Angeles, California, and Richard Cuevas, 35, of Sun City, California, were each sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee to 60 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for transporting cocaine on the interstate, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.

On October 6, 2016, Garcia and Cuevas were stopped by law enforcement on I-20 in Morton, Mississippi for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, the officer noticed Garcia appeared to be extremely nervous, and the two men gave inconsistent statements. The officer ran a drug dog around the vehicle and the dog alerted to the presence of controlled substances. Ultimately, the investigation revealed that Garcia and Cuevas traveled from California through Morton, Mississippi with approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine. In total, 21 packages were removed from the vehicle.

The case was investigated by the Morton Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wansley.