A man from Philly is set to spend a decade and a half in prison for drug distribution after being nabbed during a sting in Arlington.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with Arlington County police chief Andy Penn, announced the sentencing Thursday morning.
Prosecutors say 43-year-old Antonio Ortiz was arrested with two kilos of cocaine in a rental car, after arriving at a prearranged location in Arlington to sell the drugs to another party.
A press release did not specify where in Arlington the Oct. 15, 2024 arrest happened, but that afternoon ARLnow received a tip that the Barcroft Community Center on S. Four Mile Run Drive was locked down during a police incident.
“The Arlington County Police Department took two suspects into custody as part of an ongoing criminal investigation,” ACPD spokesperson Ashley Savage told ARLnow at the time. “There is no ongoing threat to the community related to this incident. To ensure the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation, there are no additional details to provide.”
Ortiz had several prior convictions, including for shooting someone during an argument in 2004.
More, below, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Philadelphia man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.
According to court documents, in September and October of 2024, Antonio Ortiz, 43, arranged to sell two kilograms of cocaine and agreed to travel to Arlington County to complete the transaction. On Oct. 15, 2024, law enforcement took Ortiz into custody upon his arrival at the agreed location in Arlington and searched his rental vehicle. From the trunk of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered 2,005.3 grams of cocaine. Law enforcement in Philadelphia searched Ortiz’s residence and recovered an additional 3,022.3 grams of cocaine.
Ortiz was convicted in 2002 and again in 2003 for distribution of cocaine. In 2011, Ortiz was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine while he was still on parole for a 2004 conviction for aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license after shooting another individual during an argument. Ortiz was on supervised release for the 2011 conviction at the time of his arrest on Oct. 15, 2024.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Charles “Andy” Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Alito and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hahn prosecuted the case.
This investigation is part of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Northern Virginia Drug Initiative, which seeks to identify, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations; reduce drug-related crime and violence; and identify and respond to emerging drug trends.
