Arizona man who used mobile barbershop bus to traffic cocaine sentenced to 5 years

PHOENIX — An Arizona cocaine trafficker was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, officials announced.

Ismael Alejandro Ortiz pleaded guilty to attempting to transport a narcotic drug for sale, the Attorney General’s Office said.

In addition to the prison time, Ortiz was ordered to pay $4,500 in restitution to the State Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund.

“My office will keep prosecuting those who transport dangerous drugs into Arizona communities,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in an announcement. 

Ortiz used a mobile barbershop bus as cover to transport around 12.9 pounds of cocaine on July 29, 2025, prosecutors said.

The drug deal was facilitated on WhatsApp, a messaging platform owned by Meta.

“This is yet another case facilitated on a big tech billionaire’s social media platform,” Mayes said. “Arizonans can track cases where social media companies are used to enable and facilitate illegal activities on our website.”

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