Hillsboro man gets 15 years for drug dealing, cockfighting

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Hillsboro man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug dealing and cockfighting.

Kevin Sonoff, spokesman for the Oregon U.S. Attorney’s Office, says 43-year-old Daniel Ramirez was also ordered Thursday to pay a $100,000 fine and spend five years on supervised release when he leaves prison.

According to court documents, Ramirez led a methamphetamine trafficking organization with ties to Mexican cartels. Through a series of wiretaps, authorities identified more than 50 members of the organization – 35 of whom live in Oregon.

Agents learned during the investigation that Ramirez was also heavily involved in cockfighting.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last fall.

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U.S. Department of Justice release:

PORTLAND, Ore. – On June 28, 2018, Daniel Ramirez, 43, of Hillsboro, Oregon, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and engaging in cockfighting. Ramirez was also ordered to pay a money judgment of $100,000 and will be on supervised release for five years upon completion of his prison sentence.

According to court documents, Ramirez was the leader of a large drug trafficking organization with ties to multiple Mexican drug cartels, including Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar), and was responsible for smuggling significant quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico into Oregon and elsewhere. With the assistance of a series of court authorized wiretaps, law enforcement agents identified more than 50 members of the organization, 35 of whom reside in Oregon. 24 members were indicted in federal court on various drug-related charges. A number of additional defendants were also charged in state court.

On October 15, 2015, and interagency team of law enforcement officers conducted one of the largest takedowns in Oregon history, executing federal search warrants throughout the Portland and Salem, Oregon metro areas. Ramirez was arrested at his home in Hillsboro. During a search of his residence, agents found four firearms and ammunition. After his arrest, Ramirez admitted to receiving between five and ten pounds of methamphetamine every two-to-three weeks from suppliers in Mexico.

While investigating the drug trafficking operation, agents also discovered that Ramirez was heavily involved in cockfighting. He would obtain roosters, attach knives and gaffs to their legs and enter them into wagered fights throughout Oregon.

Ramirez previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act on November 27, 2017.

This case was investigated by the Westside Interagency Narcotics (WIN) team and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

This case was brought as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the department’s strategy for reducing the availability of drugs in the U.S. OCDETF was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack on drug trafficking by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in coordination with state and local law enforcement.