Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Sioux Falls Man Convicted by Federal Jury of Conspiracy to Distribute Meth
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Gabriel Orlando Ramirez, a/k/a “Cheech,” age 43, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance as a result of a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and/or a $10 million fine, a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Ramirez was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 8, 2019.
Beginning on an unknown date and continuing until May 8, 2019, Ramirez knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, which is a Schedule II controlled substance.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey C. Clapper and Jennifer Mammenga prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.