Arizona meth ring leader who laundered profits in Las Vegas gets 11 years in prison

Greg Haas
·2 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 38-year-old Arizona man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison on Tuesday, the harshest sentence so far in the prosecution of a drug ring that sold methamphetamine and laundered the money in Las Vegas.

Mateo Vailon-Ramirez, aka Juan De Dios Yuen Felix, received 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Vailon-Ramirez pleaded guilty in July 2023.

“Customers living in Las Vegas would place orders for methamphetamine with Vailon-Ramirez who lived in Arizona,” according to a news release Wednesday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. “Vailon-Ramirez would dispatch couriers to deliver the methamphetamine to these customers. In November 2020, during the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Las Vegas that was utilized by Vailon-Ramirez as a stash house, law enforcement recovered approximately 6.59 kilograms of methamphetamine.”

Vailon-Ramirez also directed couriers to deliver the money from the sale of the drugs to a woman who worked at a money service business in Las Vegas. She was identified in court documents as Claudia Perez-Contreras. Vailon-Ramirez directed her to wire the money to individuals in Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office described Vailon-Ramirez as the lead defendant in the conspiracy. Six co-conspirators have been sentenced or await sentencing:

  • Jasmin Arredondo pleaded guilty and sentencing is set for Jan. 18, 2024.

  • Maria Baltazar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release.

  • Miguel Felix-Valdez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 63 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release.

  • Rey Munoz-Ambrocio pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 84 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release.

  • Claudia Perez-Contreras pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison and two years of supervised release.

  • Francisco Tostado pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

  • Co-conspirator Wanda Soliai is currently in RISE Court and co-conspirator Christina Vasquez has successfully completed RISE Court. RISE (Recovery, Inspiration, Support & Excellence) is a pre-adjudication court-led initiative involving a comprehensive substance abuse use disorder program.

United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams of the DEA Las Vegas District Office announced the terms of Vailon-Ramirez’s sentence. The case was investigated by the DEA and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Melanee Smith prosecuted the case.

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