Billy Ortega, 35, of West Milford, New Jersey, ran a lethal drug delivery service that ended in the deaths of three young New York City professionals on March 17, 2021. A Manhattan federal jury convicted Ortega after a two-week trial, finding him responsible for distributing fentanyl-laced cocaine that killed Julia Ghahramani, Amanda Scher, and Ross Mtangi—all in separate locations across Manhattan on the same day.
Ortega operated his narcotics ring from his mother’s Manhattan apartment, using it as a stash house and relying on family and close associates to move drugs and cash. From at least 2015 through February 2022, he coordinated drug deliveries via text message like a dispatcher, managing a steady flow of cocaine across the city. To protect his operation, Ortega supplied firearms kept at the stash house—evidence that sealed his connection to both drug trafficking and violence.
On the day of the poisonings, Ortega received a chilling warning: a customer texted him at 2:29 p.m. that a friend had overdosed after using Ortega’s product and required Narcan to survive. Ortega read the message—but then continued dispatching the same tainted batch. Within hours, Ghahramani, Scher, and Mtangi were dead, each having consumed the deadly mix Ortega knowingly pushed onto the streets.
Even after the victims stopped responding to his texts, Ortega showed no remorse. By 10:25 p.m. that night, he was offering the same fentanyl-laced cocaine to another dealer, suggesting he test it on “some girls.” The callous message—“Give it to some girls and you let me know lol bro”—was recovered by investigators and played for jurors, underscoring Ortega’s indifference to human life.
Convicted on one count of narcotics conspiracy resulting in death, three counts of narcotics distribution resulting in death, and one count of use and carrying of a firearm in furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy, Ortega now faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. The charges reflect the severity of his crimes and the federal government’s aggressive stance on fentanyl-related fatalities sweeping communities nationwide.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, of the Southern District of New York, said the verdict sends a clear message: “Drug dealers don’t label their drugs as poison, they just sell them with indifference to the tragedy left in their wake.” As the fentanyl epidemic continues to devastate families across socioeconomic lines, the conviction of Billy Ortega stands as a grim reminder of the human cost behind every batch of tainted street drugs.
Related Federal Cases
- Billy Ortega Convicted in 3 Fentanyl Deaths · New Jersey
- Jose Migel Cleto Admits Fentanyl Distribution · New Jersey
- Four Bergen County Residents Charged in Fentanyl, Heroin Trafficking Ring · New Jersey
- Fentanyl Kingpin Cleto Gets 25 Months for 400g Fentanyl Deal · New Jersey
- New York Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Fentanyl Conspiracy · New Jersey
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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