Three people accused of dealing methamphetamine in Fredericksburg were arrested this week by officers working together from the Fredericksburg Police Department and the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office.
Just under 10 grams of meth packaged for delivery were discovered during the execution of a search warrant by officers around midnight on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 21 Linda Drive, Apartment 4, off U.S. Highway 87 north of Fredericksburg, according Fredericksburg Police Department (FPD) Detective Terry Weed.
Oscar Ramirez, 26, who reportedly lives at that single-bedroom apartment, was arrested earlier in the day on a traffic violation for driving with no license, Weed said. Investigation surrounding that incident led to the joint-force execution of a search warrant for narcotics at the apartment later that night, where additional occupants Holly Ewan, 25, and Stephen Benitz, 25, were arrested for manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance,” Weed said.
Ramirez also was charged with the same offense, for the amount they had on site — just under 10 grams with an estimated street value of $1,000.
The charges are considered a first-degree felony, which carries, upon conviction, a prison term of not fewer than five years and up to 99 years/life, he said.
“They were definitely selling. The presence of scales was definitely there,” Weed said. He added that they did not appear to be cooking the illegal narcotic, but evidence supported the belief that they were receiving the product there, dividing it up into specific weighted amounts, bagging it and selling it out of the apartment.
All three suspects remain in Gillespie County custody, yet housed out of county at the Comanche County Jail.
Benitez’s bail is set at $50,000, Ewan’s bail is set at $100,000 and Ramirez’s bail is set at $151,500 ($100,000 for the drug charges and $51,500 for the traffic violation charges), Weed said.