Statesville Woman Convicted Of Drug Trafficking

A Catawba County jury needed less than an hour to find a Statesville woman guilty on counts of trafficking methamphetamine by possession and transportation. The verdict was returned against 39-year-old Tiffany Michelle Ramos on Wednesday (October 8). She will serve six to eight years in prison after the jury rendered its verdict to conclude a three-day trial in Catawba County Superior Court.

The Honorable Nathaniel J. Poovey, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence along with a pair of mandatory fines of $50,000 each for Ramos. The trial started on Monday, October 6 with jury selection, followed by presentation of evidence for the State and defense. Closing arguments took place on Wednesday before the case went to the jury for deliberation.

The offense occurred on March 20, 2024. Ramos was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding along U.S. 321 in Hickory. A K-9 unit, led by Dylan Ward of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. When Ramos moved from the seat of the vehicle, a cannister that contained methamphetamine was found, and a meth pipe was found in her purse.

Ramos gave a statement to investigators that the drugs belonged to her. The drugs seized were sent to the State Crime Lab and determined to be a trafficking amount of methamphetamine. Dylan Cassidy handled the investigation for Hickory Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Smith prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Amy Bishoff.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY