Guillermo Ortega, 44, of Las Cruces, N.M., is headed to federal prison for a decade after being sentenced to 120 months for methamphetamine trafficking and illegal firearm possession. The sentencing, handed down in Albuquerque federal court, marks the end of a years-long case tied to a drug network operating in Doña Ana County.
Ortega pleaded guilty on Sept. 3, 2015, admitting he and co-defendants Salvador Ortega, 36, and Steven Roman, 29 — both also of Las Cruces — distributed 95 grams of methamphetamine on April 2, 2014, to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. That same day, Ortega and Roman separately distributed a second batch of the drug. Ortega also admitted to possessing a firearm and ammunition on April 14, 2014, despite being a convicted felon — a violation of federal law.
The June 18, 2014, indictment laid out the charges: three counts of meth distribution tied to the April 2 handoffs and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. All crimes occurred in Doña Ana County. The case painted a picture of a coordinated street-level trafficking operation with Ortega at the center.
Steven Roman, who admitted to contacting Guillermo Ortega to arrange the April 2 sale of 57 grams of meth, pleaded guilty to Count 2 on Sept. 23, 2015. He was later sentenced on May 9, 2016, to 77 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Salvador Ortega entered a guilty plea to Count 1 on Jan. 21, 2016, without a plea deal and was sentenced on Dec. 1, 2016, to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Federal agents from the FBI’s Las Cruces office led the investigation, which relied heavily on undercover cooperation and controlled drug buys. The evidence gathered was enough to dismantle the small but active distribution ring before it could expand operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case. Ortega will serve his full 120-month sentence followed by four years of supervised release, during which any violation could land him back behind bars.
Related Federal Cases
- Floyd Sherrell Gets 57 Months for Meth, Gun Trafficking · New Mexico
- Juan Merino-Guerrero Gets 40 Months for Meth, Gun Charges · New Mexico
- Farmington Meth Dealer Brandon Smith Gets 5 Years · New Mexico
- Carlsbad Felon Christopher Reza Gets Ten-Year Penalty for Narcotics & Gun Law Violation · New Mexico
- El Paso Narc King Alejandro Carrillo Gets 46-Month Meth Sentence · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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