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Heroin bust racks up another guilty plea By DANI DODGE The 30th defendant caught in the web of a major narcotics crackdown last year pleaded guilty in federal court this week. That man - 34-year-old Emilio Rangel Cortes - was the last federal defendant in custody to plead, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Hoar. Federal guidelines call for Cortes to spend at least seven years in prison, Hoar said. "It's fulfilling to know that the initial goal was achieved with hard methodical work and law enforcement agencies working together as a team," Hoar said. The bust disrupted two major drug rings in the Rogue Valley, authorities said. One was the major supplier of heroin into the area, and the other was the supply chain for a hefty portion of the methamphetamine. The FBI and Jackson County Narcotic Enforcement Team and other local, state and federal agencies began working on the bust back in the summer of 1999 when they requested phone taps, Hoar said. The process of getting phone taps is very difficult, but the agencies got permission and began to eavesdrop in January 2000. On March 8, 2000, more than 30 federal search warrants were served on homes and vehicles associated with the distribution of heroin and methamphetamine. Nineteen people were arrested that day on federal charges and a number of other people were arrested later, mostly on state charges. Since then, 16 defendants have been convicted in U.S. District Court in Eugene and 14 have been convicted and sentenced in Jackson County Circuit Court in Medford. Four people who were arrested on federal charges after the bust fled the country and are not expected to return, Hoar said. There are five outstanding state cases, Hoar said. One of those defendants failed to appear and has a warrant out for his arrest. Four cases are set for trial, including the case of Royal Gasso, the Gold Hill public works director who was charged with attempted possession and delivery of heroin. Those sentenced in federal court - mostly people involved in the distribution ring - are serving sentences ranging from 37 months to 10 years in prison. Those sentenced in Jackson County - mostly street-level dealers and people in possession of drugs - got lesser sentences with the average being about 18 months on probation. On Tuesday, Cortes - who listed his home at several different places in the 700 block of Medford's North Riverside Avenue - pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a false alien registration receipt card (green card) and possession of a false Social Security card. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.