West Chester Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Role in Ohio Drug Ring that Sent Proceeds to Mexico

DAYTON – A man helping orchestrate a methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin trafficking conspiracy was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 180 months in prison.

A federal indictment unsealed in July 2018 charged Salvador Ramirez, 24, of West Chester, along with six other people with engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Miami Valley and across southern and central Ohio.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Walter H Rice.

Ramirez, also known as “Listo,” personally oversaw the distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars of methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin in Ohio. Ramirez would periodically travel to the western United States to obtain kilogram quantities of narcotics and distribute the drugs to local dealers in Ohio.

He did this on behalf of Eduardo Bonilla, who operated an international drug ring from his Ohio state prison cell from 2015 until June 2018 while serving a life sentence for murder.

Bonilla initially relied on former fellow inmates to run his operation outside of prison and send the proceeds to Mexico. State and federal authorities investigated and prosecuted those individuals, and Bonilla began conducting his illicit business through Ramirez.

The others charged in this case include:

• Tamara McQueen, 21, Hamilton
• Luiz Roberto Diaz-Magana, 29, Queretaro, Mexico                        
• Jesus Garcia, aka Jesse Garcia, 49, West Chester
• Joshua L. Leach, 34, Plain City Plain City
• Brandi Danyell Loy, aka Brandi Richey, 34, Plain City
• Takeea Trammell, 41, Dayton

The defendants are charged with manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine and money laundering.

In total, this and related cases included charges against 14 individuals and the seizure of more than 140 pounds of meth, seven kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of heroin and more than $130,000 in cash.

Glassman commended the investigation of the DEA and task force agencies, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi, who represented the United States in this case.

Task force agencies who investigated the cases include the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments in Monroe and Middletown.

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