Suspect arrested, one man he killed and another he injured in Chalmette all were involved in a major methamphetamine conspiracy, Sheriff Pohlmann says; 10 lbs. of meth worth $500,000 found by S.O.

Jorge Ramirez inside the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Detective offices.

Jorge Ramirez, 17, arrested in killing of one man and injuring of another, walks into the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Detective offices Tuesday night, trailed by Sheriff’s Deputy Henry Senez. Oct. 2. S

A 17-year male suspect arrested in the killing of one man and injuring of another in Chalmette on Tuesday, Oct. 2, were all involved in a major methamphetamine conspiracy, St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said Wednesday.

More than 10 pounds of meth in various forms, with a total street value of $500,000, has been recovered by the Sheriff’s Office – the largest seizure of meth ever in the parish, the sheriff said. More than $32,000 in cash was also found.

Sheriff Pohlmann said, “The motive for the killing was to steal the narcotics’’ that had been brought to Chalmette for safekeeping as it was being distributed in the New Orleans area.

Involved were three Hispanic males, the sheriff said: a survivng victim who had been living in the Violet area for some time; his brother who was shot to death and a third man – the attacker – who had recently moved to a half-double at 8526 Regiment St. in Chalmette with the man he shot to the back of head as the man slept in the residence early Tuesday morning.

All are believed to be undocumented aliens who entered the country years ago.

Jorge Ramirez, 17, of the Red Springs, N.C. area who had been staying in Chalmette only weeks, has been booked with first-degree murder of Leandro Morales De La Cruz, 32, who he had known for years in the Red Springs, N.C. area and had traveled to Chalmette together with to be near De La Cruz’s brother.

Ramirez also was booked with attempted first-degree murder of Martin De La Cruz, 26, brother of the murder victim who lived in Violet. Ramirez is jailed in St. Bernard Prison with no bond set.

Martin De La Cruz was booked into St. Bernard Prison with possession with intent to distribute meth. He was arrested after he was released from a hospital where taken after he was struck in the head with an object by Ramirez when he tried to enter the residence on Regiment where Ramirez was lying in wait for him after killing the older brother there, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

A gun believed used to kill Leandro De La Cruz was recovered by sheriff’s detectives. Several objects, including a hammer and part of a car jack, which could have been used to injure the other brother were also found, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

It was believed the murder victim and Ramirez came to Chalmette to help Martin De La Cruz in an ongoing drug business including the meth, said the sheriff and Maj. Chad Clark, head of the sheriff’s Narotics Unit.

The sheriff told a news conference Wednesday, “He (Ramirez) confessed to killing one, trying to kill the other, taking the dope and intending to go back to North Carolina.”” He added that Ramirez “had the full intention of killing the man who was injured as he did that man’s brother.’’

Narcotics is a dangerous business, Sheriff Pohlmann said. “If law enforcement doesn’t get you, the Devil will. The Devil in this case was Ramirez.”

It was the first murder in St. Bernard Parish this year and the first shooting murder since January 2009.

“We don’t get much violent crime in St. Bernard Parish,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “When something does happen we are proud of our reccrd in generally finding the culprit in a fairly short period of time, such as in this case.’’

The murder suspect doesn’t have a prior criminal record in the United States that has been uncovered, the sheriff said. But he noted the killer shot in cold-blood a friend he had known for years as the other man slept, adding that says something about the 17-year-old.

Sheriff Pohlmann also said the drug investigation is continuing and said he couldn’t provide more details at this time.

Ramirez, who is from Mexico but had been living in North Carolina for years, is believed to have shot Leandro De La Cruz in the early morning hours of Oct. 2 and later tried to kill Martin De La Cruz when he came to the door looking for his brother who was dead inside.

Ramirez was arrested while hiding under a shed less than seven hours after Martin De La Cruz was found bleeding outside the Regiment Drive residence where he had been beaten on Tuesday.

The murder suspect had been under the shed in the 8500 block of Deerfield St., just a block behind the house where the murder victim was found. Ramirez had been there for several hours, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Pohlmann said it was puzzling why the surviving victim was struck with an object instead of shot as his brother was. But the sheriff said Ramirez admitted he didn’t shoot him because neighbors were outside in the area of the Regiment Street residence at the time and he thought they might hear shooting.

Apparently, no one heard the shooting of the man who was killed or just didn’t report it.

The Sheriff’s Office was called to the 8500 block of Regiment Drive just after 11 a.m. Tuesday, when the injured man, bloodied to the head and chest, ran down the block seeking help.

He didn’t say which house he had come from but a sheriff’s deputy on the scene found blood that led back to one particular residence where blood was on the ground in the driveway. Inside, the murder victim was found.