Cocaine Trafficker from Edgecombe County Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison

RALEIGH, NC—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court on December 6, 2010, RAMIRO EDUARDO OVIEDO-PEREZ, 21, of Tarboro, North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, to 30 months’ imprisonment for his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy. OVIEDO-PEREZ has been in federal custody since his arrest on August 13, 2009, as a result of a “buy-bust” operation in which law enforcement agents with the Halifax County Sheriff's Office and FBI used a confidential informant to arrange a drug deal with a co-conspirator of OVIEDO-PEREZ and then arrested the co-conspirator and OVIEDO-PEREZ at the buy location. Law enforcement also seized more than 65 grams of cocaine base (crack), 10 grams of cocaine powder, scales, and drug packaging materials at the drug buy location.

According to investigators, OVIEDO-PEREZ was in the United States illegally and he will subject to deportation upon completion of his federal sentence. He was held accountable for the distribution of 66.2 grams of cocaine base (crack) and 226.8 grams of cocaine.

This case was part of OPERATION BURNOUT, an ongoing joint investigation by the Halifax County Sheriff's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting drug traffickers in and around the Halifax County, North Carolina area. North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Scotland Neck Police Department and North Carolina Highway Patrol participated in the buy-bust operation. Twenty-six drug traffickers have now been convicted and sentenced as apart of this investigation.

Mr. Holding commented, “The investigators assigned to this OCDETF case have done a tremendous job and we are grateful for their hard work in removing drug traffickers from our district. We know there is more work to be done, and we intend on continuing to partner with these agencies in our effort to dismantle the drug distribution network operating in our district.”

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Royster served as the prosecutor for the government.