An Alto man, Robert Jessie Martin, has been handed a federal prison sentence for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas. Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. made the announcement.
Martin, aged 47, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker sentenced him to 220 months in federal prison on April 17, 2025. The court also ordered the forfeiture of Martin's 75-acre property in Cherokee County to the government.
Court records reveal that Martin collaborated with others to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine, including more than five kilograms of a methamphetamine mixture and over 500 grams of pure methamphetamine. He established pill presses on his property near Alto to produce counterfeit methamphetamine-laced pills. These pills were then distributed across the United States. Martin was responsible for recruiting and supplying distributors for these pills.
On July 11, 2023, a federal search warrant was executed at Martin's property. Authorities seized five firearms, five rotary pill presses, 111.22 grams of actual methamphetamine, approximately 7,669 grams of methamphetamine in powder form, and 29,283 methamphetamine-laced pills.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, HSI Currency Narcotics Enforcement Team-Houston, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the Jacksonville Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Hurst.
