SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A Bronx, N.Y., man was sentenced on Thursday, June 23, in Springfield for his role in a large drug conspiracy that trafficked dozens of kilos of heroin and fentanyl into Springfield from New York City and the Dominican Republic every month.
According to the news release sent to 22News by the Department of Justice in Boston, Marvin Ortega, 35, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release. In March 2019, Ortega pleaded guilty to:
- One count of conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
“The impact of drug trafficking can be felt by everyone. Mr. Ortega was involved in an organization that funneled heroin and fentanyl into the Springfield area, profiting off of people’s pain,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Drug trafficking activities, specifically those involving fentanyl, pose an immeasurable threat to public safety. The opioid crisis has taken the lives of over two thousand people last year in our Commonwealth. They were mothers, children, fathers, siblings, and loved ones and they are gone. Forever. We cannot allow ourselves to grow numb to this epidemic and become complacent. My office will not look the other way. Narcotics dealers will be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.”
“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Ortega who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like heroin and fentanyl to the citizens of Massachusetts,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division. “Let this arrest be a warning to those traffickers who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county, state, and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes deadly drugs.”
“Opioid-related overdoses and deaths affect our community on a daily basis. The increase of fentanyl on our streets has only increased how deadly these drugs have become. This sentence will hopefully send a message to those individuals looking to bring heroin and fentanyl into our city and region that we have a team of law enforcement partners working together to investigate and ultimately convict those responsible. I’d like to thank U.S. Attorney Rollins, her team, and our local, regional, and federal partners for their work on this investigation,” said Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood.
Ortega took heroin to Springfield and the money from the sale to New York for a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Springfield, which was run by Alberto Marte. Marte had direct contact with heroin suppliers in the Dominican Republic and members of his DTO transported between eight and 20 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of approximately $1.6 million and $4 million, respectively, into the Springfield area every month.
When law enforcement authorities executed federal search warrants in September 2016, they recovered approximately $140,000 in cash and over six kilograms of heroin.