Illegal aliens from Mexico sentenced to prison for distributing counterfeit Adderall pills in Homeland Security Task Force case

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Two illegal aliens from Mexico have been sentenced to prison for distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a counterfeit Adderall conspiracy investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Washington, D.C., and HSTF Dallas.

According to court documents, Venancio Martinez Antero, 35, and Cesar Adan Rojo-Ortiz, 35, participated in a conspiracy that began at least as early as April 2019 and used darknet marketplaces to advertise and distribute counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine. Once orders were placed, co-conspirators sent customer names, shipping addresses, and drugs to redistributors such as Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz who manufactured and packaged drugs for shipment and distribution nationwide.

Law enforcement seized over five kilograms of counterfeit Adderall pills (approximately 13,692 pills) associated with the conspiracy. Between September 2019 and July 2025, law enforcement made 47 controlled purchases from the conspirators' darknet vendor accounts and accounts on encrypted messaging applications for up to 3,000 counterfeit Adderall pills at a time.

Law enforcement searched a garage that was controlled by Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz and seized, among other items, $2,900, a blender, 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, an additional 12.5 kilograms of binding material, and an industrial pill press fitted with attachments to manufacture counterfeit Adderall pills.

Martinez Antero was sentenced on May 21 to 11 years and three months in prison. Rojo-Ortiz was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Lauren E. Hahn prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; HSI; ATF; DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; USMS; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case Nos. 1:25-CR-331 (Rojo-Ortiz) and 1:25-CR-312 (Martinez Antero)