An Elizabeth City man has been sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for drug-related charges. Al Esteban Ortiz, 49, pled guilty on January 17, 2025, to possessing with intent to distribute 189 grams of fentanyl.
Court documents reveal that law enforcement received information about Ortiz, also known as "Floyd Lee Riddick, Jr.," traveling to New York to purchase narcotics. On May 4, 2024, investigators from the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office stopped Ortiz's vehicle upon his return to Pasquotank County. During the stop, officers observed Ortiz throw a white bag out of the passenger side window onto the road shoulder. The bag was retrieved and found to contain 189 grams of fentanyl.
Following this discovery, authorities obtained a search warrant for Ortiz's residence where they found an additional 25 grams of cocaine. Ortiz admitted he traveled to New York and purchased what he believed was heroin for $11,000 with plans to distribute it in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The announcement was made by Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The case was investigated by the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Avera and Phil Aubart.
Further details and related court documents can be accessed on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER using Case No. 2:24-cr-00021.
