Luis Antonio "Flaco" Ramirez allegedly organized a complex caravan system through private ranches in Starr, Zapata and Jim Hogg counties
Luis Antonio "Flaco" Ramirez, 20, of Roma, allegedly organized a complex caravan system through private ranches in Starr, Zapata and Jim Hogg counties to avoid detection at U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints.Once north of the Rio Grande Valley, Ramirez's workers cut across Central Texas before delivering their loads to Houston. One worker told authorities each load carried at least a half-ton of narcotics and sometimes much more, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ramirez's case.Over the past two years, agents seized eight loads believed linked to his organization in traffic stops, raids on stash houses and one incident at a Laredo hotel. In all, they found 9 tons of marijuana and more than 4 pounds of cocaine in locations between Laredo and Houston.In one series of stops, the Goliad County Sheriff's Office attempted to pull over a Ford Expedition on suspicion of a traffic violation. But as deputies stepped out of their car, a pickup truck sped toward them and...