Marine-turned-kingpin pleads guilty in drug trafficking case

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. Marine veteran has pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to orchestrating a drug-trafficking operation that moved tons of cocaine from South America through Mexico and into the United States. The Union-Tribune reports Angel Dominguez Ramirez Jr. pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a drug-trafficking conspiracy and a money-laundering conspiracy. The dual U.S.-Mexican citizen also admitted in his plea agreement to coordinating the flow of cash from U.S. drug-sales profits back to Mexico. An indictment says Dominguez’s military training was an asset while he worked with powerful drug cartels. Dominguez was arrested in Mexico in 2016 and extradited to San Diego in 2019.