Bertoldo Alcaraz-Ortuno, a 37-year-old from Guerrero, Mexico, has been sentenced to 136 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Alcaraz-Ortuno was indicted on December 3, 2024, by a federal grand jury on four counts: possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and illegal reentry of a previously deported alien. He pleaded guilty to the drug charge on August 7, 2025. In addition to his prison term, he received five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Law enforcement began investigating after receiving information that Alcaraz-Ortuno was supplying drugs. Officers spoke with him at his residence where he admitted having a kilogram of methamphetamine in a shed. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found 1,726 grams of methamphetamine and two firearms—a .40 caliber and a 9mm—along with $10,445 in cash.
Immigration officials confirmed that Alcaraz-Ortuno was not legally present in the United States and had previously been deported multiple times: twice in May 2015, once in June 2015, and again in July 2020.
His criminal record includes an October 3, 2019 federal conviction for drug offenses resulting in a four-year prison sentence and five years’ supervised release. At the time of his latest arrest he was still under supervision for that earlier conviction.
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Little Rock Police Department with support from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams prosecuted the case.
“Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas,” said: “Bertoldo Alcaraz-Ortuno will spend the next 136 months in federal prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.”
