Man deported to Mexico after drug dealing conviction arrested in Scott County
.jpg "This 2017 file photo shows ICE officers making an arrest in Los Angeles.")
A convicted drug dealer who was deported to Mexico more than 10 years ago was recently arrested in Scott County, according to federal court documents.
Javier Perez-Ruiz was arrested by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office Sunday on a Franklin County bench warrant from 2007. Court documents say the jail contacted a deportation officer and learned of Perez-Ruiz’s previous deportation after investigating his immigration status.
Perez-Ruiz was deported to Mexico in 2013, about one month after he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in a separate case in Youngstown, Ohio. Court documents say his immigration file did not show any approved or pending applications to be in the United States.
Perez-Ruiz was placed into ICE’s custody on Monday, according to court documents. ICE officials scanned his biographical information and fingerprints and confirmed Perez’s identity and status.
Perez-Ruiz is charged with illegal reentry into the country, according to court records. The maximum punishment for the charge is two years in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
However, if the deportation occurred after a conviction of an aggravated felony, which is the case for Perez-Ruiz, the maximum prison sentence is 20 years.
In August 2012, Perez-Ruiz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, an aggravated felony, and was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Court documents say Perez-Ruiz was involved in a drug deal with a confidential FBI agent in Shelby County in 2011.
Perez-Ruiz was arrested in June 2012 at his home in Louisville, according to court documents. He was in possession of two pistols. Perez-Ruiz later admitted to driving a co-defendant to the drug deal to sell cocaine.
Perez-Ruiz was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Lexington Friday, according to court records.
