NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Federal prosecutors say the leader of an extensive drug trafficking ring has pleaded guilty, and four other defendants have also entered pleas or were sentenced.
44-year-old Ramiro Ramirez-Barreto is linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, and authorities say he supplied cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to numerous drug trafficking organizations in Newport News as well as in Henderson and Greensboro in North Carolina.
Ramirez-Barreto's home -- where law enforcement found 19 kilograms of heroin and over $600,000 in cash -- is being forfeited in connection with this case. He also faces a mandatory minimum term of 20 years and a maximum term of life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12.
In addition to Ramirez-Barreto the following either entered guilty please or were sentenced this week for their roles in Ramirez-Barreto's operation:
- Tangynika Johnson, 44, of Henderson, NC, assisted co-defendant Cory Bullock, an inmate in a West Virginia federal prison, in getting drug proceeds delivered to Ramirez-Barreto. Johnson pleaded guilty on January 29, 2021, to using a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
- James Noyes, 55, of Newport News, was a mid-level heroin distributor within co-conspirator Damarcus Mackie’s drug trafficking organization. Noyes was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 29, 2021.
- Keith A. Brownson, 42, of Henderson, NC, was a cocaine and heroin dealer who arranged drop-offs of drugs and drug proceeds with Ramirez-Barreto. Brownson pleaded guilty on January 29, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2021, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
- Russell P. Johnson, 50, of Suffolk, VA, was sentenced to 140 months in prison on January 25, 2021, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of cocaine.
The arrests and prosecutions came as a result of Operation Cookout, a massive operation in 2019 that involved over 30 law enforcement agencies from Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.
