Federal authorities have filed drug trafficking charges against a California man arrested Sunday after Potter County deputies found 25 pounds of methamphetamine in a rental car he was driving.
About 4 p.m. Sunday, a Potter County deputy stopped a vehicle on a traffic offense on Interstate 40 west of Amarillo. During the traffic stop, deputies identified signs of criminal activity when they talked to the driver, Gerardo Ramirez, 26, of Bellflower, Calif.
According to a DEA agent’s affidavit, the car, a 2014 Nissan Ultima, smelled strongly of air freshener and Ramirez appeared to be nervous. Ramirez also could only identify the person who rented the vehicle by their first name.
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The deputy asked him for consent to search the Nissan, but Ramirez refused. A drug dog was called to the location, according to information from the sheriff’s office. The dog alerted to a “narcotic odor” wafting from the vehicle, which was searched. During the search, deputies found 25.2 pounds of methamphetamine in the spare tire compartment. The methamphetamine was packaged in 20 bundles and had an estimated street value of $903,168, authorities said.
A passenger in the vehicle — Karla Molinar, 19, of Phoenix — told deputies she was in the U.S. illegally. Both Ramirez and Molinar were arrested. They were booked into Potter County jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance.
Ramirez later was charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in Amarillo’s U.S. District Court, a charge that carries a prison term of more than 10 years. Molinar has not been charged in the federal court case.
