News Release
October 19 , 2005

Convicted Drug Felon Sentenced To
Life Imprisonment Plus 30 Years
Following Drug/Firearm Conviction

OCT 19--United States Attorney Richard B. Roper announced that defendant Ramon Perez, age 47, was sentenced by the Honorable Ed Kindeade, United States District Judge, to life imprisonment to be followed by 30 years imprisonment, without parole. At trial in May, Perez was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of “ice” methamphetamine and possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Based on Perez’s five prior felony drug convictions, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on the drug conviction and 30 years imprisonment on the firearm conviction, which runs consecutive to the life sentence.

U.S. Attorney Roper said, “There’s only one sentence that is harsher than life without parole. Drug traffickers should be looking over their shoulders --- federal judges and federal prosecutors mean business.”

Perez was also ordered to forfeit to the government four pieces of real property, valued at $690,980. The government also seized from Perez more than $100,000 in vehicles and $73,371.000 in cash. Numerous weapons were seized as well during the investigation, two of which have been linked to homicides in the Dallas area.

At Perez’s trial, the jury heard about millions of dollars in drug sales and two condominiums and a home in the Dallas area that Perez bought with the drug proceeds. When Perez was arrested in April 2004, he was driving a $70,000 black Corvette with red flames painted on the sides.

In March 2003, Perez’s brother was found dead with 16 bullet holes in his body in Lake Lewisville. Another man, Wayne Burba, was shot through the front door of his home on Christmas Day 2003. Cooperating witnesses blamed Perez for these murders. In March 2004, one month prior to his arrest, Perez led police on a high-speed, dangerous chase on Central Expressway in Dallas and during that chase he threw approximately $11,000 in cash out of the window of the car he was driving. At trial, a police officer testified that driving through that scene was like driving through a
tickertape parade in New York City.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigation which was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dallas, Coppell, Lewisville, Plano and Garland Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chad E. Meacham and Felicia Moncrief.