Disbarred Lawyer Gets 27 Years for Role in Drug Ring

A disbarred Riverside lawyer was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Tuesday, stemming from his key role in a major drug-distribution operation in the Inland Empire.

The sentence was the longest ever imposed in California on a former lawyer in a drug-related case, said John S. Gordon, who heads the major narcotics unit in the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Harry L. Hupp meted out the sentence to Richard Ramos, 41, who was disbarred in June, 1988, on unrelated charges, just a few days before the conspiracy in this case began, according to federal prosecutors.

By pleading guilty, Ramos admitted that he conspired to aid in the distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and an undetermined amount of methamphetamine, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Brenda K. Sannes.

Ramos also admitted that he conspired to launder money and to structure financial transactions to avoid federal currency reporting requirements.

In particular, Ramos acknowledged that he used drug proceeds to purchase and lease properties used for the drug-trafficking activities of his co-defendant, Joseph Edwardo Arvizu, who is a fugitive.

The properties, which were rented or purchased in a name other than Arvizu’s to conceal the true ownership, included large warehouses in San Bernardino County--used to distribute thousands of pounds of cocaine--and a ranch in Nuevo, Calif., used to manufacture methamphetamine, Sannes said.

Evidence introduced during a five-week trial in federal court showed that a team of law enforcement officers seized more than two tons of cocaine after following three vehicles that left one of the warehouses in Fontana.

Judge Hupp said in a hearing that Ramos was the principal money launderer of the drug ring and as a principal in the operation warranted an enhanced sentence under the federal sentencing guidelines. Ramos’ attorney could not be reached for comment.