Trending
A Youngstown man with prior convictions for drug trafficking, possession of heroin and assault on a peace officer was charged Friday in a seven-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Cleveland.
Raphael Ortiz, 40, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, using and maintaining a drug premises, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and as a felon in possession of firearms.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, on Jan. 6, 2021, law enforcement officers with the FBI, Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes and Law Enforcement task forces executed a search warrant at the defendant's Wesley Avenue home on the West Side. Investigators discovered a semi-automatic pistol and about $26,000 in cash.
That same day, law enforcement executed a second and third search warrant at two additional residences on Neilson Avenue known to be used for the distribution and storage of narcotics.
The affidavit states that investigators there discovered five bags containing about 2.8 kilograms or 6.3 pounds of fentanyl, a Sig Sauger semi-automatic pistol, Remington pump-action shotgun, Springfield Armory semi-automatic pistol, Smith & Wesson semiautomatic rifle, and a Springfield Armory semiautomatic rifle.
The defendant is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2008 conviction for drug trafficking and 2004 convictions for possession of heroin and assault on a peace officer.
If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the federal court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the prior criminal record, the defendant's role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis.