Portage man sentenced for statewide drug ring

A Portage man was sentenced on Thursday to 12 years behind bars in federal prison for attempting to possess more than 500 grams of cocaine to distribute, the Department of Justice stated. 31-year-old Angel Flores pleaded guilty to this charge in December of 2024. In late 2022, the DOJ said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating a large cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking organization in the Western District of Wisconsin. As officials investigated, authorities intercepted conversations between Flores and his California supplier of cocaine and methamphetamine. During sentencing, the judge expressed concern that Flores brought several kilograms of cocaine into Wisconsin on a daily basis over a long period of time and distributed it to nearly two-thirds of the state. In March 2025, four other defendants were sentenced for their roles in helping Flores’s drug trafficking organization, including a DeForest business owner.