Sentencing for man behind Mexico to Georgia Meth ring

ROME, Georgia (WDEF) – The man convicted of setting up a Mexico to Northwest Georgia meth pipeline has been sentenced in Federal Court in Rome.

Prosecutors say Juan Cain Valencia-Ramirez has been in the drug business for a long time.

They say he had set up a meth processing and distribution ring in Rome in 2018.

He brought in liquid meth in the fuel tanks of vehicles from Mexico and then sold it around Atlanta and Rome.

Prosecutors also say Valencia-Ramirez recruited associates to launder the funds through bank accounts.

In October 2018, DEA agents, Dalton Police and a Rome/Floyd Metro Task Force searched his stash house in a wooded area outside of Rome.

They say they found 176 kilograms of crystal meth and a processing lab. along with guns.

The drugs were buried in camo ice chests and plastic bins in the woods.

Valencia-Ramirez fled to Houston and stayed in the business.

In 2019, DEA agents eventually caught him in Smyrna.

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division says “This investigation was a success as it dismantled a once-thriving meth ring in North Georgia.”

Juan Cain Valencia-Ramirez, a/k/a “Chapa,” was sentenced to 22 years.

His associates have also pleaded guilty:

• Javier Rivera, 26, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to 17 years and one month of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the offenses of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and conspiracy to launder money on December 11, 2020.
• Luis Perez, 28, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the offense of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on March 12, 2020.
• Ricky McPherson, 26, of Rome, Georgia, was sentenced to five years and five months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the offense of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on October 16, 2019.
• Jasmine Garcia, 24, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to the offenses of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to launder money, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense on December 1, 2020, and is awaiting sentencing.