On Monday, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara handed down a sentence to Ramon Ochoa, a 43-year-old Mexican national, enforcing an 18-month federal prison term to run consecutively with an ongoing sentence for a state-level drug trafficking offense. Ochoa, with prior deportations under his belt from 2008 and 2014, reentered the United States illegally, a fact surfaced during his arrest in Polk County, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Ochoa has a history of repeatedly entering the United States unlawfully. After being deported in May 2014, he returned in 2017 and evaded authorities until his 2019 arrest under the alias Samuel Santana-Ortuno, where he was charged with methamphetamine trafficking while living in the U.S. without documentation. During his drug-related incarceration, Customs and Border Protection officials learned his true identity and illegal status. Ochoa admitted to a Border Patrol agent that his true name was Ramon Ochoa and recognized that he was in the country without documentation.

While previously sentencing Ochoa to a seven-year term for his involvement in drug trafficking, a state court left open the possibility of additional sentencing for federal immigration violations. Judge Lazzara's subsequent decision ensures that Ochoa will serve extra time for his unlawful reentry into the country.

The Justice Department highlights that this case showcases the collaboration between United States Customs and Border Protection, which led the investigation. The sentence resulted from the efforts of Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore, who prosecuted the case and secured Ochoa's conviction.