By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The person of interest in the murder of Tucson Police Department recruit Carlos Ramirez is facing federal drug charges.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested 30-year-old Alexis Saul Monter when he tried to walk into the U.S. in the pedestrian lane in Douglas on Aug. 30.
CBP officers questioned Monter and identified him as a person of interest in the shooting of Ramirez. But Monter was also wanted in a federal drug investigation.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told 13 News Monter was the last registered owner of the vehicle, an Acura MDX, allegedly used in the crime.
According to the indictment, Monter and Noe Soto-Boyzo are facing charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
Monter told investigators he had nothing to do with Ramirez’s death and had sold the vehicle months before the shooting.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
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Alex James Barnett and Santiago Jorge Rogers, the two suspects in Ramirez’s death, were arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf.
While their cases will be handled separately, they have a case management conference at 9 a.m. Oct. 20, and a pretrial conference was set for 9 a.m. Nov. 20.
On Aug. 31, a judge ordered Barnett and Rogers to be held without bond during a hearing.
While a judge did set Barnett’s bond at $2 million for Ramirez’s death, the judge ordered that he be held without bond for violating his probation from a 2020 case.
Barnett has a status conference scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 23; it could be vacated when he is indicted for the shooting.
The judge then ordered that Rogers be held without bond.
Ramirez, who was just over a week from graduating from the police academy, was found shot to death in his home in the 7700 block of South Enchanted Spring Drive early on Aug. 19.
Ramirez’s pregnant fiancée, a PCSD corrections officer, was shot in the shoulder, but she and her child survived.
Rogers was arrested at a hotel near the 4800 block of South Palo Verde Road on Aug. 22.
Barnett was arrested following a three-hour standoff at Desert Atrium, an apartment complex near Camino Seco and Broadway in Tucson, on Aug. 24.
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A third man, who has not been named, was also wanted in connection with the shooting.
The PCSD said he was spotted dumping the suspects’ vehicle hours after the shooting. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told 13 News the man willingly provided a statement to PCSD, and investigators are still working to determine his involvement in the homicide.
According to court records, Barnett has a long and violent criminal history in Pima County. He has been in and out of prison over the last decade and was most recently released in late 2025.
- In 2012, he was sentenced for child abuse, theft, and drug possession.
- In 2013, he was convicted of theft and credit card fraud.
- In 2021, he was convicted of vehicle theft, weapons misconduct, burglary, and identity theft.
- In 2024, he was convicted of unlawful imprisonment.
According to court records, Rogers has a long and violent criminal history across the state. He has also been in and out of prison over the last decade and has an active assault case in Pima County.
- In 2007, he was convicted of weapons misconduct in Pima County.
- In 2018, he was convicted of shoplifting and drug possession in Yavapai County.
- In 2021, he was convicted of promotion of prison contraband in Gramhan County.
- In 2022, he was convicted of attempted promotion of prison contraband in Navajo County.
COURT DOCUMENTS
According to the interim complaint, Ramirez’s fiancée told investigators that she heard banging from outside their bedroom before Ramirez came in and yelled at her to get a gun from their safe.
Ramirez allegedly told her that two masked men were in the home. She said the suspect had dark clothing with “balaclava-style face coverings and tattoos on their arms.”
Ramirez allegedly fought with the masked men before a gun went off and Ramirez was shot.
Surveillance video captured the suspect’s vehicle, a dark 2007-2012 Acura SUV, leaving the scene.
The PCSD released video from a gas station at 5405 West Valencia Road, around three miles from the crime scene, that showed Barnett and Rogers shopping minutes before the fatal shooting. According to court documents, the men bought three hats and dark gloves.
The Acura was later found dumped in a parking lot near Palo Verde and 33rd Street, about a 30-minute drive from the scene of the shooting.
The PCSD also released video that appears to show the third suspect, the one who has not been arrested or named, dumping the vehicle and wiping it down before walking away.
According to the interim complaint, there was no known connection between Ramirez and his fiancée and either Barnett or Rogers.
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