Defendant Prosecuted as Part of HOPE Initiative Which Seeks to Reduce the Number of Opioid-Related Deaths in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE - Adam Martinez, 42, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Santa Fe, N.M., to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on federal narcotics trafficking and firearms charges.
The DEA arrested Martinez on Aug. 24, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute, using and carrying firearms in relation to drug trafficking crimes, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. According to the complaint, Martinez was arrested after the DEA executed a search warrant at his Albuquerque residence and seized distribution quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, other controlled substances, and two firearms. At the time, Martinez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of a drug trafficking offense.
On Sept. 13, 2016, Martinez was charged in an eight-count indictment with distributing methamphetamine on Aug. 5, 2016, and possessing distribution quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances on Aug. 24, 2016. The indictment also charged Martinez with possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities and being a felon in possession of firearms on Aug. 24, 2016. According to the indictment, Martinez committed the crimes in Bernalillo County.
On Feb. 16, 2017, Martinez pled guilty to five counts of the indictment, and admitted distributing methamphetamine on Aug. 5, 2016, and possessing heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute on Aug. 24, 2016. He also admitted possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes on Aug. 24, 2016.
In entering the guilty plea, Martinez admitted distributing drugs in Albuquerque from Jan. 2016 to Aug. 2016, and that his drug trafficking activities included selling approximately 27.8 grams of cocaine to a person working with law enforcement on Jan. 12, 2016. He also admitted selling drugs to an undercover officer on the following dates: approximately 27.4 grams of cocaine on Jan. 27, 2016; approximately 56.7 grams of methamphetamine on Feb. 5, 2016; and approximately 56.7 grams of methamphetamine on Aug. 5, 2016.
Martinez further admitted that on Aug. 24, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on his residence and seized approximately 318 grams of heroin, 149.7 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, 128 grams of cocaine, 250 tablets (27.59 grams) containing fentanyl, and 43 grams of marijuana. The officers also seized two firearms which were in close proximity to the drugs, and Martinez admitted possessing the firearms for purposes of protecting himself, his drugs, and his drug proceeds.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Vasquez as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
