Twin Falls Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

BOISE – Elisha Gabrielle Ortiz, 40, of Twin Falls, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.

According to court records, in January 2025 investigators learned that Ortiz was trafficking methamphetamine in the Magic Valley area. The investigation revealed that Ortiz sold methamphetamine to another person on two occasions. In July 2025, investigators obtained a search warrant for a storage unit where Ortiz stored drug. Inside the storage unit, investigators found approximately two pounds of methamphetamine and 1,200 fentanyl pills that Ortiz intended to distribute into the community.

Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Ortiz to serve five years of supervised release following her prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of the Idaho State Police, Twin Falls Special Investigations Unit, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Twin Falls Police Department, Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, Jerome County Sheriff’s Office, Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force, and the Idaho Department of Corrections Probation & Parole, which led to the charge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Booker prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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