Spotsylvania Man Sentenced In Federal Cocaine Distribution Case

RICHMOND, VA — A Salvadoran national with a residence in Spotsylvania was sentenced to five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to court documents.

Court records identify the defendant as 33-year-old José Mauricio Rivas-Portill. According to the documents, law enforcement conducted three controlled purchases of more than 167 grams of cocaine from Rivas-Portillo between Feb. 6, 2025, and April 29, 2025.

On July 17, 2025, Rivas-Portillo was returning to his residence in Spotsylvania from Burlington, North Carolina, when a Virginia State Trooper stopped him in Spotsylvania County for a traffic violation. According to court documents, a drug detection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

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A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a bag containing cocaine on the driver-side floorboard and one kilogram of cocaine on the passenger-side floorboard, according to the court records. Rivas-Portillo was in possession of $1,936 in drug proceeds.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, according to the release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.