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A 63-year-old Pharr man with a history as a drug trafficker was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly 22 years in federal prison following his conviction for possession with intent to distribute 24 pounds of cocaine, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Gilberto Eloy Ramirez pleaded guilty on Oct. 1, 2020, and was ordered to serve nearly 22 years in prison immediately followed by 5 years of supervised release, according to a press release.
The court heard about Ramirez’s extensive criminal history including seven prior convictions for drug trafficking at the hearing.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane noted Ramirez is a career offender who has spent a substantial amount of years in prison for his past crimes and still continued to make poor choices.
In May 2019, during a traffic stop, Ramirez was found to be in possession of two plastic bags of cocaine and a search of his residence and property revealed multiple bricks of cocaine, a scale, plastic wrap, razor blades, heat seal bags and a loaded 9mm caliber pistol.
According to a criminal complaint, the bricks of cocaine and the pistol were found inside desk drawers in his shed.
The combined weight of the cocaine came out to be a little over 24 pounds.
Since then, Ramirez has remained in custody and will remain there pending transfer to a U.S Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the future.