Hector Raul Ortiz-Tarazon, Sr., Drug Trafficking, Arizona 2014

In a major blow to the illicit drug trade, a father-son duo has been sentenced to 15 years in prison each for operating a multi-state drug trafficking organization in Arizona.

Hector Raul Ortiz-Tarazon, Sr., 47, of Mesa, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg on June 11, 2014, to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, money laundering, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Hector Francisco Ortiz, Jr., 24, of Mesa, Ariz., was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg on June 11, 2014, to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, money laundering, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

The duo's drug trafficking organization, which operated from 2007 to 2012, shipped over 1,300 pounds of marijuana to the Midwest and East Coast, generating proceeds in excess of $1,000,000.

During the investigation, federal agents seized approximately $400,000 in assets, including cash, eight vehicles, thirty-nine firearms, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

The investigation was conducted by agencies participating in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the Coolidge Police Department, the Apache Junction Police Department, and the Chandler Police Department.

The prosecution was handled by Keith Vercauteren and Jonell Lucca, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/father-son-each-sentenced-15-years-prison-operating-multi-state-drug-trafficking