Felix Ortiz-Plata, a 45-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Stockton, was sentenced today to 16 years and three months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins issued the sentence, as announced by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
According to court documents, Ortiz-Plata was at the center of a substantial drug trafficking operation in 2022. This operation involved a clandestine stash house containing multiple firearms, and he was responsible for 377 pounds of methamphetamine and 11 ounces of cocaine.
Ortiz-Plata has a history of large-scale drug trafficking, having been on court-ordered supervision for a state court conviction when he became involved in this extensive conspiracy. He pleaded guilty on August 18, 2025.
The investigation was a collaborative effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Land Management, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hitt prosecuted the case.