Final defendant in California-Wise County fentanyl conspiracy sentenced to 11 years in prison

ABINGDON, Va. — A California man who flooded southwest Virginia with pressed fentanyl pills he bought from a California supplier has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, ending a complex case that sent eight people in prison.

Marco Antonio Orozco, 26, of Costa Mesa, California, pleaded guilty last July to a single count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

In his plea agreement, he admitted to selling between 5,000 and 10,000 pills to another man, Alexander Ortiz, 26, of Fullerton, California, at least once a month. Ortiz then developed a network of sellers, including at least two people in Wise County.

Ortiz previously pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Other court documents say Orozco purchased between 10,000 and 30,000 pills from a third man, Roberto Contreras, 24, of Buena Park, Calif., several times a week. Contreras also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

When authorities searched Orozco's home, they seized 3.5 pounds of fentanyl pills. Over a three-year period, Orozco helped distribute at least 12 kilograms of fentanyl, which the DEA says equates to 6 million potentially lethal doses.

The plot came to light when a local dealer, Paul Mason Perkins, 22, of Big Stone Gap, sold pills that caused at least two teenagers to overdose. Perkins later admitted to purchasing thousands of pills in California and then selling them locally or supplying two other local dealers, Cheyenne Cassie Perkins, 21, of Norton, and Austin Jeremiah Lane, 24, of Norton. All three pleaded guilty and were sentenced to at least three years in prison.

Two other California residents were also caught and pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Destiny Perez, 24, was later sentenced to nine years in prison, while Jorge Perez Jr., 25, was sentenced to 42 months.