Heroin Trafficker Sentenced To Three Years In Prison
SAN FRANCISCO - Mariano Ramos-Lopez was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute nearly a kilogram of heroin, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable William H. Orrick, U.S. District Judge.
According to his plea agreement, Ramos-Lopez, 37, of Porterville, Calif., admitted that in December of 2016, he offered to sell one kilogram of heroin to an individual and then traveled from Porterville to Foster City to make the sale. Ramos-Lopez acknowledged he arrived at a hotel parking lot in Foster City in possession of 946.07 grams of heroin. Ramos-Lopez was arrested after retrieving the drugs from a hidden compartment of his pickup truck.
On January 31, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Ramos-Lopez charging him with one count of possession intent to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On July 10, 2017, Ramos-Lopez pleaded guilty to the charge.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Orrick ordered Ramos-Lopez to serve a five-year period of supervised release. Ramos-Lopez is in custody and will begin serving the sentence immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikhil Bhagat is prosecuting the case with assistance from Ana Guerra. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
