United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Today, federal, state, and local authorities arrested 26 individuals, including “TMM General” Raul Ramos, and are looking for three others in connection with a heroin/cocaine trafficking operation in the San Antonio area announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.; DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division; FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; and, District Attorney Daniel Kindred, 38th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

A federal grand jury this week returned an indictment against a total of 37 (listed below): 26 were arrested today, eight are already in custody, and, three remain fugitives. Charges contained in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed this afternoon in San Antonio are: conspiracy to interfere with Commerce by threats or (Count 1); conspiracy to distribute controlled (Count 2);
possession with intent to distribute a controlled (Count 3); use, carrying, or discharging a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking (Count 4).

The indictment alleges that the defendants are responsible for distributing heroin and methamphetamine since January 2015 as well as collecting the “dime,” a ten percent tax imposed by the TMM on non-members who distribute narcotics. The indictment states that failure to pay the tax could result in serious bodily injury, robbery or death.

The defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison upon conviction of the extortion conspiracy charge. The defendants face between five and 40 years in federal prison upon conviction of the drug conspiracy charge or drug possession charge. The defendants face a mandatory ten years in federal prison consecutive to any other prison time assessed upon conviction of the firearms charge. Those defendants arrested today remain in federal custody awaiting detention hearings in federal court next week.

This indictment resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation conducted by the DEA and FBI together with Homeland Security (HSI), the San Antonio Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, New Braunfels Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Hondo Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office for the 38th Judicial District. Since October 2016, the 38th Judicial District DA's Office in Hondo, TX, has obtained over 50 state indictments of TMM members and their associates in the Hondo area related to this investigation.

The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering operations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

U.S. v. Ramos, et al. defendants
SA17cr391

** Already in custody prior to today