Karen Brady
An admitted methamphetamine dealer was held over for trial at his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, July 15.
After hearing testimony, Judge Timothy A. Brauer declared there was sufficient probable cause for Ramon Garcia Rodriguez to go to trial. Rodriguez was arrested on Jan. 18, 2008 at Garcia’s Superior Processing two miles east of Chickasha. He was charged with three counts of trafficking in methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine.
According to testimony from Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent Oscar Juanes, Rodriguez admitted he had been selling drugs for a couple of months but had done so fewer than 10 times, selling an ounce of methamphetamine at a time.
Juanes said Rodriguez also told police he purchased the drugs from a Spanish contact near 5th or 6th and Shields Blvd. in Oklahoma City. When police asked Rodriguez who he was selling to in the Chickasha area, he reportedly said he had a couple of regular customers.
“To sum it all up in a nutshell, he said he was selling drugs,” said Grady County District Attorney Bret Burns.
Over testimony, a translator could be heard softly restating the proceedings to Rodriguez.
Dusty Dowdle, an investigator with District 6 Narcotics Task Force, took the stand and explained the procedures used during the eight-month long investigation that lead to Rodriguez’s arrest.
According to Dowdle, investigators worked with an unidentified, female confidential informer, who allegedly purchased methamphetamine from Rodriguez several times at the Garcia meat processing plant while carrying concealed audio and video equipment.
In addition, Dowdle testified about four specific occasions when the informer reportedly purchased methamphetamine from Rodriguez using marked, identifiable bills. He said the protocol was to meet with the informant, who then connected with the suspect after being outfitted with audio-video surveillance equipment. After the purchase was made, the informer then reportedly met with the task force at a pre-determined location where Dowdle turned off the equipment and took the drugs and any cash left over.
Dowdle then said he downloaded the information gathered and downloaded it onto a computer and burned the data onto CDs and DVDs.
The first of the alleged drug sales took place on May 11, 2007, in a trailer outside the meat packing facility, where 3.34 grams of methamphetamine were reportedly purchased for $500. (Later testimony indicated that $300 of that money was used to pay a previous debt that the informant reportedly owed Rodriguez and the remaining $200 was used to purchase the drugs).
The second transaction on May 22, 2007 reportedly resulted in the sale of 24.78 grams of methamphetamine for $1,000. According to Burns, the sale of 20 grams is enough for a charge of trafficking.
Dowdle testified that the money used to make the drug purchases comes from federal grants, with some of the funds being earmarked to be used by drug task forces to purchase controlled substances.
The third sale took place on June 5, 2007 where 13.81 grams were reported sold for $500, with the final sale on July 10, 2007 where 27.71 grams were allegedly sold for $500, although the informant was reportedly given $1,000 to make the purchase.
In each case, the informant wore a video camera and a transmitter.
“It transmitted a signal so we could hear what was going on,” said Dowdle, who said he was located a half mile away from the buy site, but drove closer occasionally to get better audio reception.
When the attorney for the defense asked Dowdle about discrepancies in amounts of methamphetamine purchased and the differences in prices charged, Dowdle said, “In my opinion, there’s no honesty in the drug business, If you get close to what you pay for, you’re doing pretty good in the drug world.”
The prosecution showed the video and audio recordings of the four alleged drug buys, however the recordings were jerky and poorly lit and showed mostly ceilings and walls. And, while Rodriguez required a translator during court proceedings, he spoke English on the recordings made by the informant.
In the first video, voices could be heard discussing what sounded like a drug sale, but no transaction was visible. The second video showed a ceiling and a light fixture and a man handing over a plastic bag of a white substance, and then a hand placing a roll of bills into a left front jeans pocket. Video number three showed no transaction, but did include a conversation about someone wanting a pound of marijuana. The final video showed much of the same with so sign of drugs or money changing hands.
Tack disputed the value of the videos saying, “I did not see any evidence of crime.”
Burns disagreed saying that the videos need to be put into context with the confession of selling drugs at least 10 times, and that the videos show probable cause.
Judge Brauer agreed with Burns, holding Rodriguez over for trial and setting his formal arraignment date for Aug. 14 at 1:30 p.m., with District Judge Richard VanDyck to preside.
According to Burns, bail was previously denied to Rodriguez, “because he’s an illegal,” but has now been set at $100,000.
