SEATTLE — Raul Anchondo, 29, and Richard Anthony Ortiz, 33, were found guilty in U.S. District Court today after a seven-day trial for their roles in an international drug conspiracy connected to the Mexican Cartel, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.
Anchondo was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Conspiracy to Possess Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crimes & Crimes of Violence, and Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Ortiz was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute.
The jury deliberated for about five hours before returning the guilty verdicts. Anchondo faces a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison, up to life, while Ortiz faces a mandatory minimum ten years, up to life. Sentencing is set for September 27, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik.
The investigation, which led to the arrests of Anchondo and Ortiz in March 2012, uncovered multiple kilos of heroin, pounds of methamphetamine, and over a dozen firearms. Agents also intercepted a shipment of weapons bound for Mexico, preventing them from crossing the border.
According to trial testimony, Anchondo operated a stash house in Arizona before becoming a courier, transporting multi-pound loads of drugs up to Western Washington. Ortiz was a kilo distributor of heroin in the region. The men are part of a larger ring where leaders Cristian Berrelleza-Verduzco, Victor Berrelleza-Verduzco, and Ivan Berrelleza-Verduzco have already pleaded guilty.
This investigation was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, involving agencies such as ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, DEA, local police departments, and state patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Vince Lombardi and John McNeil are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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