Statement of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams on the Conviction of Billy Ortega

“Billy Ortega ran a drug delivery service that delivered fentanyl, killing three victims on a single day.  Worse yet, Ortega was fully aware that a customer had previously overdosed from the deadly fentanyl Ortega laced into his product, yet continued sending the drugs to his victims.  As a unanimous jury determined, Ortega will now be held accountable for the victims’ tragic and untimely deaths.  This case exemplifies that the national fentanyl epidemic continues to claim lives and inflict havoc on families from all walks of life.  Drug dealers don’t label their drugs as poison, they just sell them with indifference to the tragedy left in their wake.  Combatting the fentanyl epidemic in our communities is one of my Office’s top priorities.”