Arlington Cocaine bust results in 15-year prison sentence for man

After being caught during an sting operation in Arlington, a man from Philly will spend 15 years in prison.

Andy Penn, chief of Arlington County Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia announced the sentence on Thursday.

The prosecution claims that Antonio Ortiz, 43, was arrested in Arlington with two kilograms of cocaine after arriving in a car rental to sell drugs to a third party.

A press release didn’t specify the location of the arrest in Arlington on Oct. 15, 2024, but ARLnow received an tip that the Barcroft Community Center at S. Four Mile Run Drive had been closed down due to a police event.

Ashley Savage, ACPD spokesperson at the time, told ARLnow that two suspects were taken into custody by Arlington County Police Department as part of a criminal investigation. This incident does not pose a threat to the community. “To ensure the integrity and ongoing criminal investigation there are no further details to be provided.”

Ortiz was convicted of several previous crimes, including shooting someone in an argument during 2004.

Below is a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

ALEXANDRIA (Va.) – After being convicted of a serious crime involving drugs, ALEXANDRIA man was sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

Court documents indicate that in 2024 Antonio Ortiz (43), agreed to sell two kilograms cocaine. He also agreed to travel from Arlington County, Virginia to complete the deal. On October 15, 2024, when Ortiz arrived at the agreed-upon location in Arlington, he was arrested by law enforcement and his vehicle was searched. In the vehicle’s trunk, the law enforcement officers found 2,005.3 grams cocaine. Police in Philadelphia raided Ortiz’s home and found an additional 3,022.3 gram of cocaine.

Ortiz has been convicted of distribution in 2002, and then again in 2003. Ortiz, who was on parole from a 2004 conviction of aggravated assault for shooting another person during an argument, was convicted in 2011 of possessing 500 grams of cocaine or more with the intent to distribute. Ortiz had been on supervised release since his 2011 conviction when he was arrested on October 15, 2024.

After the sentencing of U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, Erik S. Siebert (U.S. Attorney) for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ibrar A.Mian (Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division), and Charles “Andy” Penn (Chief of Police for Arlington County), made the announcement.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. attorney Philip Alito, and Special Assistant U.S. attorney Lauren Hahn.

This investigation is a part of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Initiative (HIDTA), which aims to identify, disrupt and dismantle money laundering and drug trafficking groups; reduce crime and violence related to drugs; and identify emerging drug trends.