Officials said the ring operated out of prisons
Thirteen men in a methamphetamine distribution ring sending drugs all over Northwest Georgia were convicted in Rome Friday morning, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) press release. The surprise is that the gang operated out of Georgia prisons.
The men, including a 68-year-old felon nicknamed “PawPaw” serving life plus 70 years, distributed drugs to couriers and customers throughout Northwest Georgia including Dalton and Cartersville.
A coordinated effort of Operation Take Back American between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Cartersville Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Corrections, resulted in the men getting tough multi-year prison sentences attached to their current sentence without the possibility of parole.
The probe began in late 2020 when law enforcement learned that Edward Kelvin “PawPaw” Pope and David Wilson, inmates at Central State Prison in Macon, were using couriers to send meth to customers around metro Atlanta and surrounding areas. The probe extended to identify more inmates at the Macon facility and an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Atlanta. It also spread to arrest one of the outside drug distributors.
The amount of meth distributed was large, according to federal officials. Two kilograms were distributed at a Cartersville gas station in 2021. A kilogram was distributed in a Stockbridge parking lot. An active meth lab and more than 3,000 kilos were seized in a raid in Stockbridge in 2021.
Authorities began to dismantle the ring when three supplied around one kilo meth to an undercover DEA agent in August of 2021. A search of the suspect’s Norcross apartment 13 kilos of meth, $49,000 in U.S. currency, and a rifle.
Here are more details of the arrests and sentencing:
Jose Santos Isacola Cisneros, 35, Hampton GA., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and conspiracy to engage in concealing money laundering. He was sentenced to 25 years with 10 years of supervised released afterward
Ramon Rodriguez Jr., 46, Dalton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 20 years with 20 years of supervised release afterward.
Carlos Ruben Ramiro, 41, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. He was sentenced to 19 years followed by five years supervised release.
David Wilson, 53, of Carrollton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in to commit drug trafficking, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. He was sentenced to 18 years and four months followed by eight years of supervised release.
Kevin Josue Campos Rivera,27, of Snellville, pleaded guilty conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. He was sentenced to 15 years followed by five years’ supervised release.
Gustavo Omar Martinez, 37, of Lawrenceville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in committing drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 14 years followed by four years of supervised release.
Luis Cisneros Ruiz, 27, of Stockbridge, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced to 12 years followed by five years supervised release.
Edward Kelvin Pope, 72, of Commerce, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to 10 years followed by five years supervised probation.
Marcelo Ibarra, 33, of Dalton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth and cocaine and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. He was sentenced to eight years six months in prison follow years of supervised release.
Julio Estuardo Mijangos Chinchita, 37, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced to six years five months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.
Kelyn Roxana Ortiz Flores, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to assault of a federal agent and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
Max Donald Whitlock, 55, of Nicholson, Ga., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced to three years and five months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Oscar Valdez Samaniego, 45, of Rex, Ga., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. He was sentenced to three years five months, followed by four years of supervised release.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S, Canada, the UK and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio. She is on Facebook, X, YouTube, content on Substack, and has a podcast on Rumble.