Fentanyl Dealer Dumped Gun, Drugs

⏱ 3 min read

Derrick Thomas Martin, 33, is facing a lengthy federal sentence after a frantic attempt to ditch a deadly payload backfired. On November 25, 2024, D.C. police went to Martin’s apartment on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE – acting on a warrant from Maryland – and he responded by hurling a backpack out the window. Inside: a loaded Century Arms Micro Draco pistol, 700 grams of cocaine, and over 5,700 fentanyl pills. The bust went down after Martin skipped a trial in Cecil County, Maryland for similar charges.

Cops say the scene was even more disturbing. A child was reportedly asleep inside the apartment, dangerously close to the stockpile of drugs and a weapon functionally equivalent to an AK-47, according to prosecutors. Martin reportedly struggled with officers when they finally took him into custody.

A D.C. jury didn’t waste time, finding Martin guilty on all counts less than a day after deliberations began: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (over 100 grams), possession with intent to distribute cocaine (over 500 grams), being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro labeled Martin a “career criminal” with a rap sheet boasting 31 prior arrests.

Martin is scheduled to be sentenced July 10, 2026, before Judge Trevor N. McFadden. He’s looking at a minimum of 15 years in prison – a solid chunk of time for a dealer who tried to flush his operation down the drain.