Bradenton Man Smuggled Cocaine Across Mexican Border: U.S. DOJ

BRADENTON, FL — A Bradenton man pleaded guilty in federal court after smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across the Mexican border and into Florida, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Jose Ramirez, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.

He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled yet.

After being released from prison for drug trafficking, Ramirez became part of a drug trafficking organization that imported cocaine from Mexico through the Texas border, the DOJ said.

The cocaine was brought into Manatee County for distribution via hidden compartments inside passenger vehicles.

Between 2021 and 2023, Ramirez received at least 20 kilograms of cocaine per month, which he later distributed, the department said.

Members of the organization then brought the drug proceeds back to Texas on commercial flights, hiding the cash inside carry-on luggage, and then smuggled it back across the Mexican border.

During the investigation, DEA agents seized large amounts of drug proceeds from the drug trafficking ring, including nearly $300,000 from a co-conspirator outside of a bank in Bradenton.

They also seized about $500,000 from a tractor trailer in Gulfport, Mississippi.