KC Reporter

An inmate at the Lawton Correctional Facility in Oklahoma has been sentenced to 26 years in federal prison for leading a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in Greene and Polk Counties from behind bars. Joshua A. Ramirez, 39, received the sentence from U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, May 7. Ramirez, with no legal address, was sentenced as a career criminal due to previous felony convictions. Ramirez admitted to facilitating large methamphetamine transactions while incarcerated, utilizing drug couriers to transport the drug and handle proceeds from co-conspirators in southwest Missouri and beyond, with a supply source in Juarez, Mexico. Court documents indicate Ramirez was involved in distributing 907 kilograms of methamphetamine. At the time of the conspiracy, Ramirez was serving a state felony sentence in Oklahoma and awaiting transfer to federal custody for an unrelated case in the Northern District of Texas. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon and investigated by several agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.