JP woman charged in heroin bust

A Jamaica Plain woman already wanted for alleged drug trafficking was caught in Andover in a minivan containing hidden heroin on Aug. 18, according to State Police spokesperson David Procopio.

Xiomara Ortiz, 48, was arrested after the driver, Luis Sanchez-Moreta, allegedly told a state trooper that he did not know who she was and had agreed to pick her up at the Jackson Square Stop & Shop and drive her to a party in Lawrence.

Both suspects face multiple criminal charges, including heroin trafficking.

During a traffic stop at the intersection of Interstates 93 and 495, the pair allegedly gave false IDs to state troopers. A search of Ortiz’s purse allegedly revealed more than $6,500 in cash and a bottle of prescription drugs in someone else’s name. A later search of the vehicle allegedly discovering approximately 604 grams of heroin in a hidden compartment.

Ortiz was already wanted on an outstanding warrant for a charge of cocaine trafficking, according to the State Police. According to Boston Globe archives, Ortiz was among several suspects arrested in a 2007 heroin raid in Somerville that was described as the biggest drug bust in that city’s history.

Sanchez-Moreta was also wanted on multiple outstanding warrants. Federal immigration authorities are seeking custody of him because he was a “previously deported felon,” according to a State Police press release.

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