SAN FRANCISCO – David Ordonez, 20, of Berkeley, California, is headed to federal prison for four years after admitting his role in flooding San Francisco’s already ravaged Tenderloin District with fentanyl and methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris announced the sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick.
Ordonez pleaded guilty on September 19, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and to distributing both fentanyl and methamphetamine on multiple occasions. The government’s case painted a picture of a consistent operation, detailing three separate drug sales to an undercover officer between February 9th and March 9th, 2022, all taking place within the Tenderloin. These weren’t small deals; on February 24th alone, Ordonez allegedly offloaded 59 grams of fentanyl and 30 grams of methamphetamine for $1,200.
The scale of Ordonez’s operation became even clearer with evidence presented at sentencing. On March 10, 2022, he allegedly sold another 28 grams of fentanyl and a staggering 71 grams of methamphetamine for $1,000, bragging to the undercover officer via text message about the “good” quality of his fentanyl. But the real haul came on April 19, 2022, when police attempted to arrest Ordonez in Berkeley. He bolted, ditching a backpack containing a massive 1,118.8 grams – nearly 2.5 pounds – of fentanyl and another 98 grams of methamphetamine, along with other illicit substances.
Prosecutors argued that Ordonez wasn’t working alone. Cell phone data and physical surveillance linked him to his brother, Juan Carlos Hernandez-Ordonez, showing the pair routinely traveling together from their Berkeley apartment directly into the Tenderloin. The government claimed this pattern demonstrated Ordonez was making a living peddling fentanyl in the neighborhood, operating at specific times of day and night. The indictment charged Ordonez with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 40 grams and more of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Judge Orrick didn’t just hand down the 48-month prison sentence. He also ordered four years of supervised release to follow Ordonez’s incarceration. Already detained since his April 2022 arrest, Ordonez will begin serving his time immediately. His brother, Juan Carlos Hernandez-Ordonez, pleaded guilty on September 29, 2022, to one count related to the scheme, indicating further prosecutions may follow. This case is a stark reminder of the relentless flow of deadly drugs into the Tenderloin, and the federal response aimed at stemming the tide.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the San Francisco Police Department. The government’s sentencing memorandum highlighted the devastating impact of fentanyl on the Tenderloin, a neighborhood already struggling with addiction and homelessness. While this sentence removes one dealer from the streets, the demand for these drugs remains, and the fight to reclaim the Tenderloin continues.
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- Graciela Poteciano Gets 10 Years for Fentanyl Smuggle · California
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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