Home Portland Press Releases 2010 Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years in Operation Crystal Pearl Federal Judge Says That Angel Ramirez-Arroyo Worked Hard to...
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Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years in Operation Crystal Pearl Federal Judge Says That Angel Ramirez-Arroyo Worked Hard to Distribute Massive Amounts of Methamphetamine in the Community

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 04, 2010
  • District of Oregon (503) 727-1000

PORTLAND, OR—U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman sentenced Angel Ramirez-Arroyo, 26, of Aloha, Oregon, on Tuesday, to serve 20 years in federal prison for his role distributing “massive amounts” of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Portland metropolitan area. A jury convicted Ramirez-Arroyo in April 2010 for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Ramirez-Arroyo’s sentence follows a 160-month sentence Judge Mosmon imposed on Monday, November 1, 2010, on another defendant in this investigation, Roberto Birrueta-Castanada, 32, of Hillsboro, Oregon. Birrueta-Castanada pled guilty to a separate conspiracy charge, also involving 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The court also ordered the defendants to serve five years on supervised release when they complete their prison terms. Both defendants will likely be deported, however, when released from prison.

“We are working to dismantle these drug organizations root and branch,” said United States Attorney Dwight C. Holton. “Lengthy prison sentences for leaders in these organizations, helps make it clear that Oregon is not welcome turf for drug traffickers.”

Ramirez-Arroyo and Birrueta-Castanada were among 32 defendants charged in six federal indictments arising out of this investigation, referred to as “Operation Crystal Pearl.” The vast majority of the defendants pled guilty and were previously sentenced to terms of imprisonment up to 210 months. A few defendants remain fugitives, and one defendant, who was just arraigned in June 2010, is pending trial in January 2011.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Ramirez-Arroyo conspired with Oscar Macias-Ovalle, 30, of Beaverton, Oregon, and others to distribute multiple pounds of methamphetamine, and multiple kilograms of cocaine, throughout the Portland metropolitan area from at least 2007 through May 2008. Law enforcement officers seized more than three kilograms of actual (pure) methamphetamine, four firearms including an SKS assault rifle, and more than $87,000 in currency from Macias-Ovalle’s residence. Macias-Ovalle pled guilty to the conspiracy and was sentenced to 210 months in prison in July 2010.

Birrueta-Castanada was indicted after selling three ounces of methamphetamine to an informant who was working with law enforcement. Officers later seized more than $67,000 in currency from Birrueta-Castanada’s residence, and more than 1.5 kilograms of actual methamphetamine from an apartment believed to be his “stash house.”

This investigation involved the cooperation and participation of numerous federal and state agencies over a nine month period. The investigation resulted in the seizure of more than:

36 ½ pounds of methamphetamine
2 ½ kilograms of cocaine
6 ½ pounds of marijuana
24 firearms
21 vehicles
$163,000 cash

The investigative agencies included: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Regional Organized Crime and Narcotics (ROCN) Team; Westside Interagency Narcotics (WIN) Team; Portland Police Bureau’s Crime Reduction Unit, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigative (IRS-CI), and the Modesto, California based HIDTA Task Force.

ROCN includes the following agencies: Portland Police Bureau; Gresham Police Department; Tigard Police Department; Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia County Sheriff’s Offices; Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington County District Attorney’s Offices; Oregon State Police, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office. WIN includes: Washington County Sheriff's Office, Tigard Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, Beaverton Police Department, the Oregon National Guard and the FBI. Also assisting in the arrests and searches were: Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force; Metro Gang Enforcement Team (MGET); Washington County Interagency Gang Enforcement Team (IGET); the Gresham Police Department’s Street Crime Unit; Washington County Fraud and ID Theft Enforcement Team (FITE); the Salem Meth Strike Force; and the Canby Narcotics Team.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Kerin and Jane Shoemaker, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Westphal and Amy Potter from the Forfeiture Unit.

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