A Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally pleaded guilty to a federal charge of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm Friday before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller.
Jose Ramos, 33, was arrested along with Hector Gutierrez when the two were pulled over by Pine Bluff police and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies on June 29, 2021, after authorities received a tip that an unidentified Hispanic male had set up a meeting with a confidential source to sell a quarter pound of methamphetamine and an AR-15 rifle. The two men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Little Rock in July 2021 on drug trafficking and firearms charges.
According to Ramos’ plea agreement, agents had arranged to purchase 3.5 grams of methamphetamine from Gutierrez through a confidential source in order to identify the Hispanic male. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Ramos pleaded guilty in exchange for the government’s dismissal of the drug trafficking and firearm possession in furtherance of drug trafficking charges contained in the indictment.
Through an interpreter, Ramos agreed to waive indictment and allow the hearing to proceed by superseding information on the lesser charge.
Miller carefully walked Ramos through his trial rights and the consequences of a guilty plea, which he said could include deportation after his sentence is completed and possible denial of re-entry in the future.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Williams, relating the factual summary contained in the plea agreement, said that Ramos was arrested when he and Gutierrez were pulled over by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy for a traffic violation. She said Gutierrez was driving and Ramos was a passenger in the Chevrolet truck the two were pulled over in.
“Neither passenger had identification so they were asked to step out of the vehicle,” Williams said. “As they were getting out officers saw a bag of white crystalline substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine.” As officers detained Gutierrez and Ramos, Williams said, a search of the truck turned up a disassembled DPMS AR-15 rifle — which court records said was reported stolen out of Hot Springs — inside a black duffle bag that was in the passenger floorboard next to Ramos’ feet. Stuffed between the driver’s seat and the center console, she said, police found a .38-caliber revolver, about two ounces of marijuana, and about three ounces of methamphetamine.
“During a Mirandized interview, Ramos stated that he knew the black bag next to his leg had a gun in it,” Williams said. “At the time of his possession of the firearm, the defendant knew he was in the United States illegally.” Following Ramos’ guilty plea, his attorney, Cara Boyd Connors, requested that a sentencing date be set before the first week of December. Connors, who was elected to the position of Division 12 Circuit Court Judge in Pulaski County in the May judicial election and assumes her new position in January, told Miller she is trying to close her law practice before then.
“I’m on a very short time-line,” Connors said. “I’m hoping to be wrapped up by early December … I know the court’s schedule will be clogged up during the holiday season.” Miller suggested a mid-November date for sentencing and told Connors to put in a request for an expedited pre-sentence report with the U.S. Probation Office. The pre-sentence report is used to assist in calculating a defendant’s advisory guideline sentence that federal judges are advised — but not required — to use in crafting a fair sentence according to U.S. sentencing factors.
At Connors’ request, Miller scheduled the sentencing hearing for Ramos for Nov. 16.
Gutierrez is scheduled to stand trial on drug and weapons charges in February. On Thursday, he was ordered taken into the custody of U.S. marshals by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerome Kearney.