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Trio Arrested On Coke Charges

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By HOWARD ALTMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 12, 2008

Joe Luis Castanada

Francisco Pecina

Maria Ramones

Francisco Pecina was on the phone last night with Joe Luis Castanada, according to police, talking about a cocaine deal involving a couple hundred grams.

Around 10 p.m., the two men agreed to meet at Pecina's home at 12020 E. Bay Rd. in Gibsonton, where police say Castanada would pick up the drugs.

But before the transaction could be made, Tampa Police were listening in to the phone call and set up surveillance, according to affidavits, which describe what happened next.

Shortly after their phone conversation, Castanada pulled up to Pecina's house in a red 2007 Nissan Maxima. He got out of the car, went into the house and, after about a minute, came out again. He got back into the Maxima and left.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies – who were working with Tampa Police – followed as Castanada drove north on Hwy 301. After a few minutes, deputy Don Hess noticed an "unknown white light source shining rearward from beneath" the Maxima.

Hess pulled over Castanada.

The 23-year-old Wimauma resident had a suspended license and was classified as a habitual traffic offender, so Hess arrested him. When Hess searched the Maxima, he found 268 grams of powdered cocaine.

Castanada, listed in jail records as a mason for Coastal Construction, was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, both felonies and driving with a suspended license/habitual traffic offender, a misdemeanor.

After Castanada's arrest, police intercepted another call from Pecina.

It was to his wife, Maria Cecilia Ramones, 35, who is listed in jail records as a teacher at It's Kids Time in Riverview.

Pecina, 34, asked his wife to remove cocaine from their house.

A few minutes later, investigators saw Ramones leave the house in a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. She was followed to the parking lot of a nearby CVS at 301 and Gibsonton Drive and detained.

A police drug dog arrived on the scene, walked around the outside of the Malibu and alerted on the right rear quarter panel, near the trunk. When the trunk was searched, investigators found a blue pillow case containing one large brick of powdered cocaine and five additional bags of cocaine, containing a combined weight of 660 grams.

After being read her Miranda rights, Ramones said she did not know that the cocaine was in the car.

She was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

Pecina was also arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

After he was read his Miranda rights, Pecina said he sold Castanada a quarter kilo of cocaine for $6,200 and that he bought a kilo earlier that day for $22,000 on consignment.

Pecina, Ramones and Castanada are being held at the Orient Road Jail with no bond set.

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