Mexican Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 292 Months

NORFOLK, VA—Omar Antonio Martinez, 31, of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced today to 292 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a large-scale cocaine trafficking organization.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine on October 17, 2012. According to court documents, Martinez was a member of a cocaine distribution ring that extended from the Hampton Roads area to other locations throughout the United States. In approximately 2006, Martinez approached several lower-level drug dealers in the area and recruited them to distribute cocaine on his behalf. After selling the cocaine to multiple customers, the dealers would then provide the proceeds of these cocaine sales to Martinez in order to purchase more cocaine. At the time of his arrest in Hampton, Virginia, in May 2012, Martinez was found with 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, a kilogram press, digital scales, cocaine packaging materials, several thousand dollars, and a handgun. All told, from 2006 through May 2012, Martinez was responsible for transporting, manufacturing, and distributing more than 100 kilograms of cocaine throughout Tidewater.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.