Meth Trafficker Sentenced to 15 Years

Meth Trafficker Sentenced to 15 Years

A Republic man has been sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. William Cruz Martinez, 40, of Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool.

According to court documents, Martinez’s 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe was stopped at a flashing red light in Springfield, Mo., on Oct. 1, 2013. The vehicle appeared to be stalled, so a Springfield police officer activated his emergency lights to warn oncoming traffic and approached Martinez, the driver. Martinez appeared nervous and stated that he was having car trouble.

The officer checked his identity information and told Martinez that he was free to leave, but asked if he needed his vehicle towed. Martinez said he would have a friend come and help him. The officer told Martinez that he would standby in his vehicle until his friend arrived, so other motorists would not strike him.

As the officer started walking towards his patrol vehicle, another officer motioned to him to look in the back passenger seat of Martinez’s vehicle. The officer saw in plain view a clear plastic bag containing methamphetamine on the passenger side back seat. Martinez grabbed the plastic bag and attempted to hide or destroy it. Officers pulled Martinez out of the vehicle, at which time he dropped the bag, which was recovered by one of the officers.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found a lunchbox under the hood, inside the air filter box. Inside the lunchbox were clear plastic bags containing methamphetamine, individually packaged for distribution. Officers seized a total of 148.05 grams of methamphetamine from Martinez’s vehicle.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Tammy Dickinson announced the sentencing, stating that Martinez’s actions pose a threat to public safety.

Martinez pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on Sept. 28, 2015. He will be serving his 15-year and eight-month sentence without the possibility of parole.