ATLANTA — Federal prosecutors have announced indictments against seven people accused of operating a fentanyl and meth trafficking network allegedly run from inside the Georgia prison system.
Investigators say 40-year-old Luis Alfonso Ramirez, also known as “Ponch,” directed the operation using contraband cell phones while incarcerated in south and central Georgia prisons. Prosecutors say Ramirez has ties to Mexican drug cartels.
Authorities say the alleged trafficking network distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl across multiple Georgia counties, including Hall, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton, Douglas and Spalding counties.
Ramirez and six co-defendants are charged in the case. Prosecutors say four of the seven defendants had previously been deported or removed from the United States and later re-entered the country illegally.
During the investigation, agents seized roughly 35 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, 3.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and more than $145,000 in cash. Investigators also uncovered two clandestine drug labs.
All seven defendants are in federal custody awaiting court appearances in Albany. Federal prosecutors say each person charged could face a possible life sentence if convicted.
The investigation involved agents with the Homeland Security Task Force, the GBI and several federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.