Santa Rosa Man to Serve 4 Years, 4 Months for Possessing Over 3 Pounds of Methamphetamine

Defendant Jose Ramirez-Ibarra, 37 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today to serve four years and four months in prison for possession of methamphetamine for sale, with a sentencing enhancement for possessing more than one kilogram of methamphetamine.

On February 8, 2018, a search warrant was served at the Santa Rosa residence of Ramirez-Ibarra. Inside his bedroom detectives discovered approximately 2 and a half pounds of methamphetamine hidden behind a fake smoke detector plate. Detectives also found a loaded handgun in his closet, and over $79,824 in cash on a nightstand.

In May of this year, after Ramirez-Ibarra bailed out of custody, detectives served another search warrant at his new residence in Windsor. Detectives discovered approximately one pound of methamphetamine and $4,200 in cash in a room belonging to Ramirez-Ibarra.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “The combination of this amount of controlled substances, cash, and a firearm clearly presented a significant public safety risk. Fortunately, the defendant was apprehended, the narcotics and weapon were seized and he will serve a significant penalty. We hope this sentence will serve to deter others who seek to engage in sales of this dangerous narcotic.”

Ramirez-Ibarra pled no contest in August to two counts of possession of methamphetamine for purpose of sale and admitted a weight enhancement. As part of the plea he also agreed to forfeit over $80,000 that was seized. Ramirez-Ibarra will serve his prison sentence locally because of “The Public Safety Realignment Act” a change in sentencing law approved by the legislature and signed by the governor in 2011. In addition to requiring many prison sentences to be served in local jail, the Realignment Act also allows for local prison commitments to be split between time spent in custody and time spent in the community on mandatory supervision. Ramirez-Ibarra will be spending two years in custody and the remainder of his sentence will be spent on mandatory supervision.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Thomas Gotshall. The Santa Rosa Police Department, Narcotics Division, headed the investigation.