An Elizabeth City man received an 8.5-year prison sentence Tuesday for the possession with intent to distribute a significant amount of fentanyl, announced Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Al Esteban Ortiz, 49, had previously pleaded guilty on January 17, after a law enforcement operation uncovered his involvement in drug trafficking.
Documents from the court, as well as information presented during the trial revealed that Ortiz, who operated under the alias “Floyd Lee Riddick, Jr.,” was apprehended by Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office investigators on May 4, 2024. After being tipped off about his narcotics procurement trip to New York, officers stopped Ortiz's vehicle upon his return to Pasquotank County. It was during the stop that Ortiz, who was driving alone,, tossed a white bag from his car, which investigators later retrieved from the roadside, containing 189 grams of fentanyl. Following this discovery, a search warrant led to the confiscation of an additional 25 grams of cocaine from Ortiz's residence, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office release.
Upon arrest, Ortiz confessed to the authorities that he had traveled to New York and spent $11,000 on what he thought was heroin to distribute back in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His open admission and subsequent conviction culminated in the sentencing handed down by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The case was thoroughly investigated by the local sheriff's office, and the prosecution was carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Avera and Phil Aubart.
As the opioid crisis continues to grip communities across the nation, cases such as Ortiz's highlight the ongoing battle against drug trafficking and the substantial risks it poses to public health and safety. The contents of the bag thrown from Ortiz's car, fentanyl, is a powerful synthetic opioid, that is exponentially more potent than heroin – and is a major contributor to the surge in overdose deaths nationwide. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the successful prosecution of Ortiz represents a collaborative effort between federal and local agencies to dismantle narcotics distribution networks that facilitate the flow of dangerous drugs into American neighborhoods.
