Dog-fighting - over 140 dogs seized - Franklinton, LA

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

County: Washington

Charges: Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Pedro Mendez Ramos
» Michael J. Jackson
» Andrew Aubrey - Alleged
» Lance K. Olivier - Alleged
» Keith Bernard Warren - Alleged
» Darren P. Williams - Alleged
» Smith Warren, III - Alleged
» Doris Handy - Alleged
» James F. Cornish - Alleged

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Dogfighting, money laundering and drugs are all tangled together on the Gulf Coast, state police say, with two intertwined sets of arrests and the confiscation of more than 140 pit bulls as evidence.

Pedro Mendez Ramos, 36, of Church Point, allegedly is the ringleader for it all. He was among 15 people arrested May 25 in Texas, Louisiana and Florida after a three-year investigation of Gulf Coast drug trafficking.

On May 26, Louisiana State Police said he also was leader of a dogfighting organization with kennels in Church Point and Franklinton. Three of the others arrested on May 25 on drug and money laundering charges - and two of three additional people arrested on May 26 in Franklinton - were accused with him in the dogfighting organization.

Forty-three pit bulls were confiscated from Church Point in arrests there Wednesday, but the dogfighting charges didn't come out until May 26, when troopers descended on the Franklinton kennel owned by Darren P. Williams.

They found more than 100 pit bulls - they hadn't finished counting on May 26, and the Louisiana SPCA had to call in the St. Tammany Parish Animal Control and Baton Rouge city Animal Control center for help housing them - and arrested Williams and two others, said Trooper Johnnie Brown, a state police spokesman.

He said more arrests are expected.

The drug investigation started in February 2002, and wound up with federal indictments against seven people arrested Wednesday in Louisiana, seven - including Ramos - arrested in Texas, and one in Florida, state police said.

In November 2004, troopers in the Casino Gaming division in Lafayette began investigating a dogfighting organization based in Church Point. Their counterparts in Baton Rouge learned in March about one in Franklinton. The two groups of investigators noticed similarities, and realized the two dogfighting groups were related.

Ramos faces federal charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana; conspiracy to launder money; continuing criminal enterprise; money laundering; and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it. In Louisiana, he also faces dogfighting charges, Brown said.

Also accused in both the dogfighting and drug rings are Michael J. Jackson, 29, of Lafayette; Andrew Aubrey, 32, of St. Martinville; and Lance K. Olivier, 27, of Church Point.

In addition to the state dogfighting charges, Olivier faces federal charges of money laundering, conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana and conspiracy to launder money. Aubrey and Jackson both are charged in federal court with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine.

Williams was booked with dogfighting, animal cruelty and possessing marijuana.

Keith Warren, 32, of Franklinton, was booked with dogfighting, cruelty to animals, money laundering, and possessing marijuana and crack cocaine; and Doris Hardey, 46, of Franklinton, with possessing marijuana and crack cocaine.

Case Updates

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the sentencing of a man convicted of running a major drug distribution network that ran from Brownsville through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida and was affiliated with the Gulf Cartel. Pedro Mendez Ramos, 41 of Church Point, La., was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on the charges of continuing a criminal enterprise and money laundering conspiracy. Ramos had been previously convicted after pleading guilty to the charges. Ramos and 17 others were originally named in a 12-count indictment from 2005. According to court records, Ramos was supplied large quantities of cocaine and marijuana from the Gulf Cartel in Matamoros, which his associates smuggled and moved through his distribution network using tractor trailers and trucks with hidden compartments, as well as gamecock cages with false bottoms. Ramos, who would organize pit bull and rooster fights, is said to have used the blood sports as a networking tool for his organization, DEA records show. The profits from the sale of narcotics were laundered through the purchase of various real state properties throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Louisiana, and some in Palm Beach, Fla. According to the agency, authorities seized more than 245 pounds of cocaine and $1.8 million from Ramos as well as more than 300 roosters and more than 60 pit bulls. Authorities also seized more than $1 million in real state. According to the indictment, the seized properties in Brownsville include a lot on the 5400 block of Boca Chica Boulevard, one lot on El Lago Street, a house on the 800 block of Milpa Verde, a property on the 1100 block of Paredes Line Road, as well as three properties in San Benito and several others in Hidalgo County “The coordinated efforts of this investigation not only exposed and dismantled a sophisticated drug trafficking organization, it also helped cease the brutality and unspeakable cruelty of animals at the hands of inhumane individuals,” Jimmy Fox, a special agent in charge with the DEA. The case was investigated by the DEA, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office and the Louisiana State Police.

Source: Brownsville Herald - Aug 10, 2010 Update posted on Aug 24, 2010 - 2:32PM

Several defendants facing dog-fighting, conspiracy, money-laundering, and drug charges are working their way through federal and state court systems stemming from raids conducted in May, 2005. The charges were the result of a three-year multi-agency investigation of Gulf Coast drug trafficking, culminating in two sets of arrests and the confiscation of more than 140 pit bulls. In November 2004, troopers in the Casino Gaming division in Lafayette began investigating a dogfighting organization based in Church Point. Their counterparts in Baton Rouge learned in March about one in Franklinton. The two groups of investigators noticed similarities, and realized the two dogfighting groups were related. Pedro Mendez Ramos, 36, of Church Point, the alleged ringleader, faces federal charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana; conspiracy to launder money; continuing criminal enterprise; money laundering; and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it. Darren P. Williams, owner of the Dirty South Kennels, is scheduled to go on trial November 26, 2007, and will appear for a pre-trial conference on October 30 in Washington Parish Court. Also facing charges in Washington Parish are James Cornish, Doris Handy, Keith Warren, and Smith Warren III. Trial dates are pending for these defendants. In Acadia Parish, Michael Jackson pled guilty to one felony count of dog-fighting on May 29. According to court records, he received a suspended three-year prison sentence and was placed on supervised probation. Andrew Aubrey is scheduled for trial in Acadia Parish on September 24 at 9:00 a.m. A warrant remains outstanding for Lance Olivier. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts may contact the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office at (337) 788-8700.

Update posted on Aug 28, 2007 - 5:00PM

Darren P. Williams, owner of Dirty South Kennels, is scheduled to go on trial for felony dog-fighting charges on March 5, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. at the Washington Parish Courthouse, located at the corner of Washington & Main Streets in Franklinton. Williams was arrested in May, 2005, along with at least 8 others after a three-year multi-agency investigation of Gulf Coast drug trafficking. Evidence of dog-fighting was reportedly found, and more than 140 dogs were seized from two locations. Also facing charges are: Pedro Mendez Ramos, Michael J. Jackson, Andrew Aubrey, Lance Olivier, Keith Warren, Smith Warren, Doris Hardey, and James Cornish. Hardey, Cornish, and the Warrens will appear in court for a pre-trial conference on May 10 in Washington Parish. Jackson and Aubrey will appear in court next on May 29 in Acadia Parish Court. Lance Olivier is currently a wanted fugitive with an outstanding warrant for his failure to appear in court in June of 2006. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office at (337) 788-8700. Alleged ringleader Pedro Mendez Ramos is working his way through the federal court system. Ramos faces federal charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, continuing criminal enterprise, money laundering, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it, as well as dog-fighting charges in Louisiana.

Source: Washington and Acadia Parish Courts Update posted on Feb 28, 2007 - 9:47PM

References

• - May 27, 2005
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