DC Trafficker ‘Cardiddy’ Gets 9 Years for Fentanyl Flood

WASHINGTON D.C. – Ronte Ricardo Greene, 29, of Washington D.C., is headed to federal prison for nearly a decade, convicted of flooding the streets with deadly fentanyl. Greene, known on the streets as “Cardiddy,” received a 108-month sentence today in U.S. District Court for his role in a massive conspiracy that funneled hundreds of thousands of counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills from Southern California into the District of Columbia and beyond.

Greene was one of 24 individuals arrested throughout 2023 across D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and California, all linked to the same ruthless operation. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentencing, a clear signal that the federal government is cracking down on the networks responsible for the opioid crisis ravaging the nation. Greene pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl. In addition to the prison term, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered five years of supervised release upon his eventual release.

Court documents reveal that Greene entered the conspiracy in 2022, hooking up with a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker who served as a wholesale supplier of the lethal pills. Greene’s job was simple, yet deadly: travel to California, procure the fentanyl, and transport it back to the DMV for distribution. The investigation, spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Metropolitan Police Department, uncovered a sophisticated operation built on profit and disregard for human life.

Greene wasn’t shy about flaunting his ill-gotten gains. Investigators discovered he regularly boasted about the money he made from drug trafficking, brazenly posting photos on social media of himself surrounded by stacks of cash. The arrogance proved to be his downfall. When arrested on November 15, 2023, Greene was found in possession of approximately 100 fentanyl-laced pills – a small snapshot of the devastation he was responsible for.

This case is a prime example of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) in action. OCDETF is a multi-agency approach designed to dismantle large-scale criminal enterprises, bringing together federal, state, and local law enforcement to target drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs. The investigation involved a broad coalition of agencies, including the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Support also came from U.S. Attorney’s Offices in California, Virginia, and Maryland.

Greene isn’t the only one facing consequences. Several co-defendants have already been sentenced. Hector David Valdez, 27, of Santa Fe Springs, California, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Craig Eastman, 21, of Washington, D.C., received 165 months on February 6, 2025, for a similar fentanyl conspiracy. Charles Jeffrey Taylor, 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty February 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Raymond Nava, Jr., 21, of Bell Gardens, California, was sentenced to 14 years on September 17, 2024, for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Ulises Aldaz, 28, of Bell Gardens, California, received 95 months in prison on June 28, 2024, for the same charge. The prosecutions are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Kinskey, Solomon Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Division.