Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico living in Donna has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to traffic multiple drug loads.
Hector Rodriguez-Ramos pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Rodriguez-Ramos to serve 72 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
In 2024, Rodriguez-Ramos recruited another individual to act as a drug courier for the cocaine trafficking organization. He took that person’s vehicle to a car shop associated with the conspiracy where others installed a hidden compartment.
Law enforcement ultimately uncovered the conspiracy after they found 14 kilograms of cocaine in that compartment.
The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Ramos coordinated multiple drug deliveries and completed a drug run himself. He was also in communication with others involved in the conspiracy during the events.
Rodriguez-Ramos has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and Yasmine Tucker prosecuted the case.
Updated July 23, 2026
