David Ortiz shooting suspect indicted on drug conspiracy charges in New Jersey

A Paterson man suspected of shooting baseball star David Ortiz and being involved in a pair of Clifton armed robberies has been indicted on drug conspiracy charges, authorities said.

Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, 25, was charged with multiple crimes, including conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and an amount of cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said in a statement.

If convicted, Cruz will face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison for two of the charges. The third charge has a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison.

Ferreira-Cruz is one of 10 people arrested for the shooting of Ortiz in a bar in the Dominican Republic. Cruz admitted to being the person who shot Ortiz, Dominican Republic police said.

As of Thursday, Cruz was in custody in the Dominican Republic for the shooting, the statement said.

Cruz is also connected to two armed robberies in Clifton that date back to 2017.

He did what? Uber Eats driver caught masturbating in Hackensack during a delivery, police say

Crime:Three public works employees arrested

Court:Paterson ex-recycling chief gets $75K in harassment lawsuit

In 2017, a 26-year-old Passaic man was walking in the area of Hope Avenue near Highland Avenue when he was approached by multiple men wearing masks and brandishing handguns. The victim told police he was forced into a dark driveway where the men took several items and fled on foot. 

Last week, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Cruz was a suspect in those robberies. Cruz, who according to Clifton police used to live in Paterson, was the only one of four suspects in the December 2017 robberies to evade capture. 

Email: torrejon@northjersey.com