U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Juan Antonio Ortiz-Valle (54, Mexico) to six (6) years and three (3) months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Ortiz-Valle had pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023. Judge Mizelle previously sentenced a coconspirator, Jeramie Normandin (33, Melbourne, Florida), to 3 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. Normandin had also previously pleaded guilty.
According to court documents, Ortiz-Valle is a Mexican citizen who was legally admitted into the United States from 1996 to 2000 but remained in the country after his legal status had expired. Ortiz-Valle lived in Dallas, Texas and Pensacola, Florida until his arrest in this case.
In March 2017, Ortiz-Valle arranged the sale of 10 kilograms of cocaine through a confidential source. He and a coconspirator met with an undercover agent in Jacksonville, where they discussed the pending cocaine transaction and how they could continue to work together in the future. Ortiz-Valle said he worked with individuals in Mexico and Texas, and that he had sources that could supply as much cocaine as needed. However, the sale of cocaine planned for that day did not occur because the vehicle carrying the cocaine was involved in an accident.
In September and October 2017, Ortiz-Valle and a confidential source discussed cocaine deliveries to a buyer in Florida. They met in Lakeland with the buyer, Normandin, and Ortiz agreed to supply Normandin with kilogram quantities of cocaine. After their initial meeting, Ortiz and Normandin continued to communicate through the confidential source and agreed that their initial transaction would take place in Dallas. Normandin met with Ortiz and his suppliers in Dallas and purchased two kilograms of cocaine from them. After the transaction, the cocaine was seized by law enforcement during a traffic stop.
In April 2018, Ortiz communicated with the confidential source to arrange a delivery of two kilograms of cocaine to Normandin in Lakeland. Ortiz and coconspirators traveled to Lakeland for the transaction and arrived at the prearranged location. After verifying that Ortiz and his coconspirators had brought the cocaine, law enforcement seized two kilograms of cocaine from a coconspirator’s vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lakeland Police Department, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
