A Mexican national with a history of deportation has been handed a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges, primarily involving the opioid fentanyl, in Nevada, Colorado, and California. Marco Antonio Quezada-Ramirez, identified as a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, as announced by United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada.
The sentencing was carried out by United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro. Having been removed from the United States on two previous occasions, Quezada-Ramirez was convicted for his involvement in a drug distribution conspiracy. During a traffic stop in Las Vegas, a stash of 30,000 fentanyl pills, which were reportedly meant for resale, were recovered by law enforcement, along with other illicit substances including cocaine and heroin.
In a confession, Quezada-Ramirez admitted his ties to a broader criminal plot aimed at dispersing fentanyl throughout the United States. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, he acknowledged selling hundreds of fentanyl pills on separate incidents before receiving the large shipment intercepted by authorities.
This case was spearheaded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a network committed to dismantling high-level criminal organizations. Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis, for the DEA Los Angeles Division overseeing Las Vegas, along with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, were recognized for their investigative efforts. The announcement, made jointly by the DEA and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, stated that the effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melanee Smith, who highlighted the OCDETF Program’s collaborative and intelligence-driven strategy in addressing drug trafficking. Additional details about the OCDETF’s initiatives and accomplishments are available on its official website.
