Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To His Role in Large-Scale Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Ring in Springfield

BOSTON – A Bronx, N.Y., man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Springfield to his role in a large-scale drug conspiracy that trafficked dozens of kilos of heroin and fentanyl into Springfield from New York City and the Dominican Republic.

Marvin Ortega, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2019. Ortega was arrested in January 2018 in New York.

According to court documents, Ortega transported heroin to Springfield and the proceeds from the sale to New York for a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Springfield, which was allegedly run by Alberto Marte. Marte had direct contact with heroin suppliers in the Dominican Republic, and on a monthly basis, members of his DTO transported between eight and 20 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of approximately $1.6 million and $4 million, respectively, to the Springfield area. When law enforcement authorities executed federal search warrants in September 2016, they recovered approximately $140,000 in cash and over six kilograms of heroin. 

The charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Acting Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Claprood; Chicopee Police Chief William Jebb; Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo; and West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Desroches of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.