Two local men are facing felony drug trafficking charges after they were arrested while allegedly delivering two kilograms in Hatfield Township.
Bernardo Ortega, 33, of Hatfield, and Oscar Portillo Ramirez, 23, of Lansdale, have been charged with felony counts of possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy – possession with intent to distribute, criminal use of a communication facility, and related offenses in connection with their May 17 arrests in Hatfield Township.
Both men are currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.
The arrests come as a result of a multi-agency investigation including personnel from the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police, Hatfield Township Police Department, Lansdale Borough Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Agency, according to charging documents.
Law enforcement initiated the investigation in April 2023 after receiving information indicating that Ortega was allegedly involved the in large-scale acquisition and sale of cocaine. The investigation included electronic surveillance, physical surveillance, call record analysis, and undercover law enforcement personnel, which determined that Ortega was allegedly being supplied by Ramirez.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators set up an undercover operation to purchase two kilograms of cocaine from Ortega and Ramirez at a location in Hatfield Township on May 17. Once Ortega and Ramirez were on location, an arrest team took both men into custody along with two kilograms of cocaine that field tested positive, police said.
The street value of the cocaine was approximately $200,000, police said.
Police said both Ortega and Ramirez cooperated with their investigation, and Ortega consented to a search of his residence along the 900 block of Forty Foot Road, which revealed additional cocaine, packaging materials, and an undisclosed amount of money. It was later learned that Ramirez had allegedly acquired the drugs from a source in Washington, D.C.
Both men were arraigned Friday morning by Magisterial District Judge Paul Leo, who set bail at $250,000 cash. The criminal complaint notes Ortega is a Mexican National, and Ramirez is a Honduran National. North Penn Now reached out to the district attorney’s office regarding their immigration status on Friday, however a spokesperson was not available, and we have not received a response at the time of publishing.
Ortega and Ramirez have a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 21 at 2:15 p.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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