Men get prison in 30-kilo drug deal brokered in Gulfport

Three Orlando, Fla., men have been fined and ordered to prison for using a phone to line up a 30-kilo cocaine deal brokered in Gulfport.

Ernesto Castillo Ramirez, 42, and Jael Pena Vasquez, 30, were each sentenced to four years in prison Friday in U.S. District Court. Jose Rosado, 41, was sentenced to two years. It’s a federal offense to use a phone in drug-trafficking activities. The maximum penalty is four years in prison.

Had the men stood trial, the government was prepared to prove they met with an alleged drug dealer in Gulfport and elsewhere, and sent text messages and made phone calls to arrange a drug deal for 20 to 30 kilos of cocaine. That’s 44 to 66 pounds of cocaine.

The meetings also occurred in Florida and New York, court documents show.

The alleged drug dealer was an informant involved in a federal sting operation and the meetings were recorded, according to court documents.

Chief Judge Louis Guirola Jr. also fined Rosado $3,000 and Ramirez and Vasquez $1,000 each.

They were indicted with five others on a conspiracy charge involving the trafficking of cocaine in Harrison County and elsewhere from early 2014 through April 21, 2015.

The three men each pleaded guilty to phone calls on different dates.

Ramirez and Vasquez, both from the Dominican Republic, had been arrested on Jan. 27, 2015, but were released pending further investigation. They had gone to New York City with $112,000 and a Rolex watch to exchange for cocaine, a Homeland Security Investigations agent said in a court document. They allegedly had planned to meet in Manhattan with lead defendant Amada Reyes.

Deportation is mandatory because of their convictions.

The family of Ramirez believed he worked for a car dealership and would drive to Tampa, Fla., on occasion to pick up cars and deliver them to Mississippi and New York, the agent said in court papers.

The conspiracy charge for the three will be dismissed in exchange for their plea.

Reyes is set for trial on a court calendar that starts Aug. 1.

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Men get prison in 30-kilo drug deal brokered in Gulfport."