Jonathan D. Ross U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Bertoldo Alcaraz-Ortuno, a 37-year-old from Guerrero, Mexico, has been sentenced to 136 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Alcaraz-Ortuno was indicted on December 3, 2024, by a federal grand jury on four counts: possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and illegal reentry after deportation. He pleaded guilty to the drug charge on August 7, 2025. In addition to his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
The investigation began when law enforcement received information that Alcaraz-Ortuno was supplying methamphetamine. Officers went to his residence and spoke with him; he admitted having a kilogram of methamphetamine in his shed. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found over 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, two firearms—a .40 caliber and a 9mm—and $10,445 in cash.
Immigration authorities confirmed that Alcaraz-Ortuno was unlawfully present in the United States and had previously been deported multiple times between May 2015 and July 2020.
Alcaraz-Ortuno’s prior criminal record includes an October 3, 2019 federal conviction for drug offenses resulting in a four-year prison sentence and five years’ supervised release. At the time of his latest arrest, he was still under supervision for that conviction.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Little Rock Police Department with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams prosecuted the case.
