LAKE CHARLES, LA – Jose Albino Ramos Hernandez, 38, a Mexican national, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on charges related to drug trafficking and illegal re-entry into the United States. The sentence follows a lengthy history of repeated illegal entries after multiple deportations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana.
Hernandez’s first illegal entry into the U.S. occurred in 2006. Despite being deported multiple times, he continued to defy immigration laws. In March 2011, he was issued a Notice and Order of Expedited Removal by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which barred him from re-entering the U.S. for five years. However, within two years, he illegally crossed the border again in November 2012 at Laredo, Texas.
Further violations of immigration laws led to another deportation in April 2013, with a 20-year re-entry ban. Yet, Hernandez’s disregard for these restrictions resulted in several additional illegal entries, with federal authorities uncovering that he had unlawfully crossed the border on at least seven occasions after the 2013 deportation.
Hernandez’s criminal actions came to a head on September 8, 2022, when Louisiana State Police stopped a vehicle he was traveling in during a routine traffic stop in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. A K-9 officer conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle, which led to the discovery of one kilogram of cocaine hidden in the rear seat pocket.
In addition to the cocaine, officers uncovered two firearms inside the vehicle: a Taurus PT111 Millennium G2 pistol and a 9mm Polymer 80 PF940C pistol. Hernandez was arrested and subsequently charged with drug trafficking and illegal re-entry.
His illegal actions, coupled with his criminal history, resulted in the five-year prison sentence handed down by the court. Upon release, Hernandez will face further scrutiny as part of the ongoing efforts to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.