Mount Pleasant Couple Accused Of Trafficking Guns, Drugs

MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — A Mount Pleasant couple were accused of trafficking guns and drugs, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday in a news release.

The two are accused of engaging in a conspiracy to buy guns from stores in Wisconsin, alter the serial numbers, and sell the guns to other people, the DOJ said, citing a criminal complaint.

The couple purchased several guns between December 2021 and March 2022, and federal authorities searched a hotel where they were staying in Mount Pleasant on April 5, the DOJ said.

Deandre L. Rodgers, 36, of Mount Pleasant, and Viridiana Garcia-Ramirez, 24, of Los Angeles, are both facing several federal charges in connection with the accusation.

According to Monday's announcement from the DOJ, both are charged with dealing in firearms without a license, making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee, distribution of a controlled substance, using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, among other charges.

When federal authorities searched the couple's hotel room in Mount Pleasant on April 5, they found 29 bags containing cocaine, two scales, and about $800, but no guns, the DOJ news release said.

The couple were tracked buying multiple firearms from stores in the Mount Pleasant area, according to the federal criminal complaint. The ATF investigated the case and U.S. Attorney Phillip T. Kovoor will be prosecuting it.