Lady Justice.
Two men, Oscar Emilio Portillo Ramirez, 24, and Bernardo Ortega, 34, have each been sentenced to four to eight years in state prison for their involvement in a cocaine trafficking operation in the North Penn area, with narcotics sourced from Washington, D.C., according to Pottstown Mercury.
The duo, hailing from the 500 block of North Towamencin Avenue, Lansdale and the 900 block of Forty Foot Road, Hatfield, respectively, pleaded guilty to possession and conspiracy charges related to incidents between April and May 2023, according to court documents.
Judge Thomas M. DelRicci imposed the sentences following plea agreements that were agreed to before their trials even began, per the report.
Their arrests stemmed from a joint investigation involving county detectives, Pennsylvania State Police, Hatfield and Lansdale police, and the DEA, beginning in April 2023.
Ortega and Ramirez were seen delivering two kilograms of cocaine in a parking lot on the 100 block of Forty Foot Road during an undercover operation, leading to their arrest, on May 17, 2023. Per the report, the operation included use of wiretaps, surveillance, cell phone data records, and the like to zero in on Ortega’s source.
Additional cocaine and paraphernalia were found during a search of Ortega's apartment, mostly in a locked safe. All in all, the cocaine and paraphernalia was estimated by detectives to be worth $200,000 on the street.
According to the criminal complaint, Ortega was involved “in the large-scale acquisition and sale of cocaine,” and let investigators search his apartment, per court documents.
Ramirez sourced the cocaine from Washington, D.C., authorities said.
Other charges against them were dismissed as part of the plea agreements.
Read more on the sentencing here.
