Defendant Was Convicted for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin
PORTLAND, Ore. - Guadalupe Ortiz Carrillo, 33, a resident of Wood Village, Oregon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez to 125 months in prison following his federal conviction for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine and heroin. When the defendant is released from prison, he is required to serve three years of supervised release.
On July 17, 2014, the defendant was arrested after he arranged to have a runner deliver four pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer. The investigation revealed that the runner had been working for the defendant for a year and a half and was paid $500 a week to store and deliver methamphetamine and heroin at the behest of the defendant. Officers subsequently searched the residences of the defendant and the runner and found an additional six pounds of methamphetamine, over three-quarters of a pound of heroin, $10,524 in cash, scales, and drug packaging materials.
On July 7, 2015, the defendant pled guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
“Methamphetamine and heroin have been identified as two of the region’s most serious drug threats," stated U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. “This case is another example of our continued dedication to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners to hold significant drug dealers accountable for poisoning our community."
According to the Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program:
Methamphetamine in the form of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice," continues to be readily available and widely used throughout the Oregon HIDTA and represents the region’s most serious drug threat. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that is abused for its euphoric and stimulant effects. Chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit violent behavior, confusion, insomnia and psychotic characteristics such as hallucinations and paranoia. Methamphetamine-related crime, such as identity theft, abused and neglected children, and other serious person and property crimes, continues to occur at a palpable rate and is prevalent throughout the HIDTA region.
Oregon and Idaho law enforcement officers surveyed in 2015 indicated methamphetamine remains a significant threat due to its level of use and availability; nexus to other crimes such as violent activity and property crime; societal impact; and connection to drug trafficking organizations, primarily MNDTOs [multi-national drug trafficking organizations]. Of law enforcement agencies surveyed, 62 percent reported methamphetamine as the greatest Oregon HIDTA Program drug threat to their area, with the majority indicating methamphetamine as the drug that contributes most to violent crime (88%) and property crime (69%). Furthermore, over 60 percent of officers ranked methamphetamine as the drug that serves as the primary funding source for major criminal activity.
Threat Assessment and Counter-Drug Strategy, Program Year 2016, Oregon HIDTA Program, at 12-13 (June 2015).
Heroin availability has increased in the Oregon HIDTA region since 2007, fueling a rise in the volume of heroin seized, number of new users and associated overdoses. Evaluation of recent indicators suggests that heroin availability and use has reached a critical level and represents a close second to methamphetamine as the region’s most serious drug threat.
Id. at 20.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Portland Police Bureau’s Drugs and Vice Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott Kerin.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
