Stockton Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

SACRAMENTO, CA—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that CARLOS MARTINEZ Jr., 34, of Stockton, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to 12 years and seven months in federal prison to be followed by four years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine. MARTINEZ pleaded guilty on December 16, 2008.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the FBI’s Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force (METRO), the Stockton Police Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The collaboration of law enforcement agencies in this case was possible as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Jason Hitt, who prosecuted the case, MARTINEZ admitted that on January 17, 2007, he sold four ounces of crystal methamphetamine during two separate drug deals conducted using a confidential source (CS) in Stockton. MARTINEZ first sold two ounces of crystal methamphetamine to the CS for $1,500 from his home in Stockton.

A few hours later, MARTINEZ sold two more ounces of crystal methamphetamine to the CS for an additional $1,500 at Gibson Park located at Hammer Lane and Alexandria Place in Stockton. In all, he was responsible for distributing more than 55 grams of methamphetamine on January 17, 2007.

In sentencing, Judge Karlton said the long sentence was warranted by MARTINEZ’s lengthy criminal history and the seriousness of his drug trafficking offenses. Judge Karlton also noted MARTINEZ’s validated membership in a Norteño street gang as a factor warranting a severe sentence.