Crime & Safety
VIDEO: Chatsworth Man Faces Cocaine Trafficking Charges
A team of law enforcement agencies broke down his door and took him into custody mid-May.
A Chatsworth man remains in custody on charges of conspiracy to sell cocaine and is expected in court Friday to fight extradition to Alexandria, VA, according to authorities.
A cluster of law enforcement agencies, lead by the Drug Enforcement Administration, used a battering ram to break down the front door of his upscale home May 15 on the 9600 block of Andora Avenue, according to eyewitnesses and an out-of-district warrant and indictment.
Neighbors said they did not see any type of traffic at the house indicating drug sales were going on.
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Gilberto Ramos is suspected of conspiring to sell cocaine between January, 2010, and August 2011, in Fairfax County, VA, according to court documents.
“He has been remanded into custody and is waiting to transfer to eastern Virginia to answer the charges there,” said Jose Martinez, a spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Martinez said once Ramos, 42, appears before a magistrate in Virginia, he will have an opportunity to respond to the charges.
Ramos’ attorney, Eduardo Ruiz of Fresno, did not return repeated telephone and e-mail requests for comment during the month of May. Initially, the court documents were sealed.
In Friday's preliminary court hearing, an application is expected to be submitted to replace Ruiz with attorney David Balakian, according to court documents.
Ramos is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of a $1 million bond.
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