A former Puro Tango Blast gang member has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for drug and gun offenses, officials announced.
In February 2025, Daniel Ortiz, 34, of San Antonio, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, burglary involving controlled substances, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer sentenced Ortiz to 240 months in federal prison.
Court documents detail that in January 2024, Ortiz and two accomplices burglarized a MedPlus Pharmacy in San Antonio. Using the Zello app—a secure push-to-talk communication platform—they coordinated before, during, and after the heist. One co-defendant made two false 911 calls in an attempt to divert law enforcement, after which Ortiz broke into the pharmacy and stole quantities of codeine and other controlled substances. Ortiz then transported the stolen drugs to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to sell.
In a separate incident on March 30, 2024, Ortiz was driving a stolen BMW X5 with his girlfriend in the DFW area. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, and Ortiz fled at high speed, striking two other cars during the pursuit. He eventually abandoned the BMW, fled on foot with a Glock .22 caliber handgun, and entered a nearby residence to hide. After a four-hour standoff, Ortiz surrendered.
Ortiz is a multi-convicted felon and a member of Puro Tango Blast (PTB), a violent prison gang primarily made up of Hispanic men from Texas cities.
The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Rick Calvert and Luis Suarez prosecuted the case.
