McALLEN — A man who told authorities he was smuggling marijuana to sustain his crack addiction pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, court records show.
Roel Ruben Ramos pleaded guilty Wednesday to count two of the indictment against him of distribution of marijuana.
In exchange for his guilty plea, the government agreed to dismiss the marijuana conspiracy charge he faced, court records show.
Standing before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez, Ramos took responsibility for his role in the movement of more than 240 pounds of marijuana in December of last year in Starr County.
Ramos legal issues began at about 3 p.m. New Year’s Eve last year, when the 45-year-old Edinburg man was arrested near the Rio Grande in Roma after a U.S. Border Patrol agent observed him driving a pickup truck away from the river and attempted to pull him over, court records show.
With the agent’s emergency lights activated, Ramos decided to not pull over and evaded the agent for a short distance as he continued on Expressway 83.
Eventually, Ramos pulled over after taking a turn down a side street.
The agent approached Ramos’ vehicle and during the search, the agent discovered five bundles of marijuana in the bed of the truck, and one brick wrapped in cellophane in the front passenger side floorboard, the record shows.
The complaint filed against Ramos states the bundles weighed a combined 190 kilos, or 240 pounds.
Ramos, who has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1994, with arrests on misdemeanors, including driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana to name a few, told agents that he “messed up because he’s addicted to crack cocaine and needed the money,” the complaint states.
“Ramos further stated he should have listened to his mother and that he had messed up,” by attempting to move the bricks of marijuana, the complaint states.
The complaint does not state how much Ramos was promised in compensation for his smuggling attempt.
He is expected back in court for his sentencing hearing scheduled for Aug. 15, court records show.
