Jackson County Man Sentenced in Fentanyl Case After Investigators Link Pills to Overdose Death
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — A 28-year-old Jackson County, Oregon, man, Eduardo Cortes Cortes, was sentenced to 5½ years in federal prison last Thursday on fentanyl distribution-related charges, after police linked an overdose death to Cortes Cortes and two of his associates.
Court documents indicate that, in July of 2022, investigators responded to an overdose where the victim had a rolled-up dollar bill containing crushed pill residue that tested positive for fentanyl, and the victim was declared deceased.
- July 2022 : Fatal overdose is investigated.
- Later : Investigators identify Duarte and Cortes Cortes.
- Traffic stop : Fentanyl pills and an analogue are seized.
- Feb. 2, 2023 : Federal indictment is returned.
- July 9, 2026 : Cortes Cortes receives a 67 month sentence.
Investigators established that Tyren Duarte was determined to be the source of supply to the victim and later identified Cortes Cortes as a source of that fentanyl.
During a traffic stop involving Cortes Cortes, law enforcement recovered 93 grams of fentanyl pills and 33.66 grams of a fentanyl analogue.
On February 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford, Oregon, returned an indictment charging Duarte, Cortes Cortes, and a third co-conspirator with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Duarte previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and six years of supervised release on August 19, 2025. Cortes Cortes, 28, was sentenced to 67 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release last Thursday.