California man sentenced 15 years for selling fentanyl to Raleigh drug dealers

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A California man will serve more than a decade in federal prison for his role in bringing fentanyl to Raleigh, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said Thursday.

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According to federal prosecutors, an investigation into Raul “Ralph” Ramirez began in January 2022.

The investigation revealed Ramirez sold hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to a drug trafficking organization in Raleigh. Drug dealers would fly to California to buy the fentanyl from Ramirez and bring them back to North Carolina, according to federal prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors said the Raleigh drug trafficking organization distributed 77 pounds of pressed fentanyl pills.

Although several dealers possessing thousands of pills were arrested during the investigation, according to federal prosecutors, Ramirez continued to sell fentanyl until he was arrested.

On Sept. 15, 2025, according to federal prosecutors, Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

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Ramirez, 44, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, according to prosecutors.

“Cartels and out‑of‑state criminals have remorselessly flooded eastern North Carolina with poison for far too long,” U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in a statement. “They piped hundreds of thousands of deadly fentanyl pills directly into our backyards and schools, destroying families and ruining lives. For what? A few measly bucks. Not under my watch. Law and order wins every time.

“We caught this high‑level bad hombre, exposed his network, and secured a 15‑year federal prison sentence,” he continued in his statement. “If you bring death and destruction to eastern North Carolina, we will track you down, lock you up, and ensure you pay a very heavy price.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones said in a statement, “Thanks to a collaborative effort, a cross-country network bringing deadly drugs into our communities has been wiped out. We greatly improve the safety of our communities when careless and dangerous drug traffickers are caught and put out of business for good.”

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