Man Sentenced in San Angelo to 15 Years for Distribution of Meth

SAN ANGELO, TX — A man was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Thursday at the O.C. Fisher Federal Building and United States Courthouse in San Angelo.

Orson Rolando Ortegon, 39, pled guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

He was one of 17 people arrested earlier this year as part of a large-scale drug bust in Abilene, which reportedly led to the seizure of nearly 64 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.6 pounds of cocaine, 1,370 grams of fentanyl and 60 firearms.

Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop said at the time that every suspect arrested had connections to the Mexican cartel, and that their investigation was directly linked to the open-border crisis.

When police attempted to pull over Ortegon while driving, he fled and crashed into an unoccupied parked car. Police reported finding 75 grams of meth, along with a meth pipe, in the vehicle.

It was one of several times over the years that Ortegon had been arrested for drugs and evading arrest, which gave him a criminal history rating of 6, the highest rating possible, said Judge James Hendrix.

Ortegon was observed distributing nearly eight pounds of methamphetamine while under police surveillance.

Hendrix said the pattern of selling drugs and running from police — with no regard for public safety — were factors he had to consider.

He sentenced Ortegon to 15 years and 8 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.