United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger has announced that federal, state, and local law enforcement officers engaged in a significant drug operation in Green Bay and surrounding communities resulting in a federal grand jury returning on Sept. 10, 2019, an eleven-count superseding indictment charging eleven defendants with conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Additionally, the superseding indictment charges some defendants with possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking as well as money laundering. Additional defendants face drug charges in Brown County Circuit Court for their involvement in this drug organization. All defendants are residents of Green Bay with exception of Oscar Alonso and James Parkinson (Milwaukee), Hector Gomez-Salas (Oklahoma) and Francisco Martinez (Rochelle, Illinois).
The defendants charged in the superseding indictment are:
Name
Age
Charge
Ruben Ortiz, Jr.
36
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Money Laundering
Alejandro Lopez
37
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime
Francisco Martinez
38
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Hector M. Gomez-Salas
31
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Oscar Alonso
45
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession with intent to Distribute Heroin
Gabiel Y. Bonilla
37
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
Cedric D. Cohen
42
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime
Terry A. Johnson
27
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine; Possession with intent to Distribute Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime
Richard D. Guyette
26
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Fentanyl
James H. Parkinson
46
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Possession with intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession with intent to Distribute Heroin
Stephanie M. Ortiz
30
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances; Money Laundering
As part of this investigation, law enforcement executed numerous arrest warrants and search warrants in June 2019 at various locations in Green Bay. The operation and charges are the culmination of a multi-year investigation that has resulted in the seizure of significant amounts of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, $130,000 in U.S. Currency, vehicles, and at least 14 firearms. One seizure in particular involved approximately 480 grams of fentanyl that was intended to be sold by members of the conspiracy.
If convicted of the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, the defendants face at least a minimum term of 10 years prison, and up to life. Convictions on the firearms and money laundering counts would expose the defendants to additional terms of incarceration.
The investigation was led by the following law enforcement groups: Brown County Drug Task Force, Green Bay Police Department, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Menominee Tribal Police Department, Manitowoc County Metro Drug Unit, Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Drug Unit, Oneida Police Department, Wausau Police Department, Native American Drug and Gang Initiative Task Force, Brown County District Attorney’s Office, Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office, Manitowoc County District Attorney’s Office, Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Roach. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
