Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Northeast Kingdom Fentanyl, Cocaine Conspiracy

Burlington, Vermont – In a major blow to the Northeast Kingdom’s notorious fentanyl and cocaine trade, a Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 95 months in prison for his role in a brazen drug conspiracy.

Juan Carlos ‘JC’ Ortiz, 29, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 95 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release for conspiring with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base between November 2021 and August 2022, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

Court records reveal that Ortiz was charged in two separate but related indictments involving overlapping drug conspiracies, with thirteen individuals – mostly residents of the Northeast Kingdom – charged with distributing controlled substances and conspiring to do the same. All have since been adjudged guilty, although several are still awaiting sentencing.

At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court recognized that Ortiz was an organizer or leader in those drug conspiracies, using multiple hosts’ residences throughout Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia Counties to prepare and distribute controlled substances. Ortiz also relied on coconspirators to complete drug distributions and provide him with transportation between residences and to Massachusetts to acquire and distribute controlled substances.

The sentencing hearing followed a long-term investigation conducted by multiple local, county, state, and federal agencies, led by the Northeastern Vermont Drug Task Force (NEVDTF) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). NEVDTF and ATF were assisted in this investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations, detectives and troopers from the Vermont State Police, members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, the Newport Police Department, aviators with the Air & Marine Operations component of United States Customs & Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest reiterated the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to addressing federal crime in the Northeast Kingdom and commended the excellent collaboration of federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies required to investigate and prosecute this case.

The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher. Richard Bothfeld, Esq. represented Juan Carlos Ortiz.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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