About 40 pounds of meth hidden in gas tank stopped from reaching Wichita, feds say

A New Mexico man has been sentenced to 9 years in federal prison after Kansas troopers stopped him from delivering about 40 pounds of methamphetamine to Wichita.

Miguel Angel Ramirez was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Wichita to 108 months in federal prison and a $200 assessment. He received the maximum prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of interstate travel in aid of racketeering and use of a communication device to facilitate the commission of a drug trafficking crime.

He was originally indicted on one count of possession with the intent to distribute meth after he was arrested by the Kansas Highway Patrol during a traffic stop on Dec. 2, 2019, court documents show.

Ramirez was caught speeding in a silver Dodge Challenger on U.S. 54 in Liberal, according to the plea agreement. The trooper received “illogical responses to his questions concerning the defendant’s trip,” so he asked for permission to search the car. The driver consented.

The trooper then found about 40 pounds of meth hidden in the fuel tank, and Ramirez was arrested. The drugs were being delivered to Wichita from New Mexico, the plea deal states.

The most recent drug statistics from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation list a pound of meth as being valued between $3,500 and $5,000 in Kansas. At those street prices, the amount of meth in the gas tank was worth between $140,000 and $200,000.

Ramirez was 30 years old as of when he signed his plea deal in July. He will serve his sentenced at the Las Cruces, New Mexio, prison or a nearby facility to be closer to his son and other family members.