A Jackson County man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, federal prosecutors announced.
Eduardo Cortes Cortes, 28, was sentenced last Thursday to 67 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
According to court records, the investigation began in July 2022 after law enforcement responded to a fatal overdose. Investigators found a rolled-up dollar bill containing crushed pill residue, which tested positive for fentanyl.
Authorities determined that Tyren Duarte supplied the fentanyl involved in the overdose. As the investigation continued, Eduardo Cortes Cortes was identified as one of Duarte’s sources of supply.
During a subsequent traffic stop, investigators seized 93 grams of fentanyl pills and 33.66 grams of a fentanyl analog from Cortes Cortes.
On Feb. 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford indicted Cortes Cortes, Duarte, and a third co-defendant on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Duarte previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced in August 2025 to 48 months in federal prison followed by six years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) task force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara T. Shaw and John C. Brassell prosecuted the case.
MADGE, led by the Medford Police Department, is a multi-agency task force dedicated to disrupting drug trafficking organizations operating throughout Jackson County. The task force includes investigators from the Medford Police Department, Central Point Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the Jackson County Public Safety Levy and the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
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