Two men deny possession with intent to distribute

Two men denied allegations of criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute stemming from a traffic stop in May on Interstate-90.

Patrick Leto Ramirez and John Anthony Suraco appeared before Judge Jeffrey Dahood in 3rd District Court in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County on July 16, where they pleaded not guilty to a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Ramirez also charged was with a felony count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, to which he pleaded not guilty as well.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2025, Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Adam Hoover conducted a traffic stop near mile marker 209 on I-90 in ADLC after observing a white Chrysler Sebring “traveling in the left lane without other vehicles around it and no subsequent need to travel in the left lane for purposes of overtaking or passing another vehicle.”

Upon approaching the vehicle, Trooper Hoover learned that Ramirez was the driver and Suraco was the passenger. Upon identifying himself to the trooper, Suraco said he had an active felony warrant out of Butte.

After arresting the defendants, troopers searched the Chrysler and “seized one large rock of suspected fentanyl weighing approximately eight grams from a bag on the front passenger seat, a tooter from the same bag, and foil containing burnt residue from the driver’s side door,” according to court documents.

When Ramirez was processed at the ADLC Detention Center, detention staff recovered “a large rock of suspected fentanyl,” court documents state. The substance was turned over to Trooper Hoover and the substance weighed approximately 10.5 grams. 

“Based on the trooper’s training and experience, two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s tolerance and usage. Possession of eight or 10 grams, equating to 8,000 or 10,500 milligrams, would be well in excess of personal use quantities of fentanyl,” court documents state.

According to court documents, Trooper Hoover also watched in-car video in which he saw Ramirez reaching down the front of his pants, removing an item from his pants, and attempted to put it in the crack of the seats of the patrol car. He then retrieved the item from the crack and then fiddling with or opening the item, according to court documents.

“Mr. Ramirez is captured on camera doing this multiple times and appears to be moving in a panic,” the documents state.

In the video, Ramirez is also seen tossing an object out the window of the patrol vehicle two different times and attempting to a third time but not being able to because Trooper Hoover is returning to the vehicle and putting the item back into the front of his pants, court documents state.

After reviewing the footage, troopers returned to the scene of the traffic stop and found a “small amount of suspected fentanyl in the grass along with another folded up piece of foil,” court documents state.

Suraco was released on his own recognizance and was ordered to follow the standard release order and conditions of release. The court ordered Ramirez to be released on a $50,000 bond already posted and to follow the standard release order and conditions of release.