John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS PALACIOS ORTIZ, 44, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for cocaine trafficking and immigration offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on Feb. 13, 2017, the Connecticut State Police stopped a car that PALACIOS ORTIZ was driving on I-84 East near Waterbury. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 4.5 kilograms of cocaine.
PALACIOS ORTIZ has been convicted of at least six federal immigration offenses since 1999, and he was previously deported from the U.S. multiple times, the last time occurring in September 2015.
PALACIOS ORTIZ has been detained since his arrest on Feb. 13, 2017. On Feb. 15, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count of reentry of a removed alien. He will be deported after he serves his 60-month prison term.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
