An admitted methamphetamine dealer was held over for trial at his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, July 15.

After hearing testimony, Judge Timothy A. Brauer declared there was sufficient probable cause for Ramon Garcia Rodriguez to go to trial. Rodriguez was arrested on Jan. 18, 2008 at Garcia’s Superior Processing two miles east of Chickasha. He was charged with three counts of trafficking in methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine.

According to testimony from Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent Oscar Juanes, Rodriguez admitted he had been selling drugs for a couple of months but had done so fewer than 10 times, selling an ounce of methamphetamine at a time.

Juanes said Rodriguez also told police he purchased the drugs from a Spanish contact near 5th or 6th and Shields Blvd. in Oklahoma City. When police asked Rodriguez who he was selling to in the Chickasha area, he reportedly said he had a couple of regular customers.

“To sum it all up in a nutshell, he said he was selling drugs,” said Grady County District Attorney Bret Burns.

Over testimony, a translator could be heard softly restating the proceedings to Rodriguez.

Dusty Dowdle, an investigator with District 6 Narcotics Task Force, took the stand and explained the procedures used during the eight-month long investigation that lead to Rodriguez’s arrest.

According to Dowdle, investigators worked with an unidentified, female confidential informer, who allegedly purchased methamphetamine from Rodriguez several times at the Garcia meat processing plant while carrying concealed audio and video equipment.

In addition, Dowdle testified about four specific occasions when the informer reportedly purchased methamphetamine from Rodriguez using marked, identifiable bills. He said the protocol was to meet with the informant, who then connected with the suspect after being outfitted with audio-video surveillance equipment. After the purchase was made, the informer then reportedly met with the task force at a pre-determined location where Dowdle turned off the equipment and took the drugs and any cash left over.

Dowdle then said he downloaded the information gathered and downloaded it onto a computer and burned the data onto CDs and DVDs.

The first of the alleged drug sales took place on May 11, 2007, in a trailer outside the meat packing facility, where 3.34 grams of methamphetamine were reportedly purchased for $500. (Later testimony indicated that $300 of that money was used to pay a previous debt that the informant reportedly owed Rodriguez and the remaining $200 was used to purchase the drugs).

The second transaction on May 22, 2007 reportedly resulted in the sale of 24.78 grams of methamphetamine for $1,000. According to Burns, the sale of 20 grams is enough for a charge of trafficking.

Dowdle testified that the money used to make the drug purchases comes from federal grants, with some of the funds being earmarked to be used by drug task forces to purchase controlled substances.

The third sale took place on June 5, 2007 where 13.81 grams were reported sold for $500, with the final sale on July 10, 2007 where 27.71 grams were allegedly sold for $500, although the informant was reportedly given $1,000 to make the purchase.

In each case, the informant wore a video camera and a transmitter.