More than 40 pounds of powder fentanyl was seized from a traffic stop in Oklahoma, leading to a 31-year-old Mexican national’s 11-year prison sentence.
A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Julia Elizabeth Rodriguez Ortega on March 15, 2022. Count 1 charged her with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and Count 2 charged her with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
On July 1, 2022, Rodriguez Ortega pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the indictment. At a sentencing hearing on June 20, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Scott Palk sentenced Rodriguez Ortega to serve 135 months in federal prison.
In support of his sentence, Judge Palk cited the serious nature of the offense and Rodriguez Ortega’s repeated pattern of smuggling drugs into the United States from Mexico. Upon release from prison, Rodriguez Ortega must serve five years of supervised release.
According to records introduced by the United States, Rodriguez Ortega had been documented driving cars loaded with drugs into the United States from Mexico on several occasions since 2020. However, she was able to evade capture by conducting ‘driver swaps.’
On February 9, 2022, while driving through Oklahoma, Rodriguez Ortega was stopped by Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agents who eventually searched her car and found over 40 pounds of powder fentanyl. The United States presented evidence that the amount of fentanyl possessed by Rodriguez Ortega equated to 9 million fatal doses and had an approximate street value of $10,000,000.
This case was the result of an investigation by the HSI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Leverett.
Related Federal Cases
- James Robert McAlester, Fentanyl Trafficking, Oklahoma 2023 · Oklahoma
- Nicholas Anthony Rodriguez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, CA 2024 · Oklahoma
- Osakwe Bandele Jr, PCP Trafficking, Oklahoma 2021 · Oklahoma
- Grady County Defendants, Fentanyl Death, Oklahoma 2023 · Oklahoma
- PAMELA PAYNE, Fentanyl Distribution, Oklahoma 2024 · Oklahoma
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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