Honduran National Unlawfully Residing In The United States Sentenced To 17½ Years In Federal Prison For Selling Fentanyl That Resulted In A Fatal Overdose (Photo) - 11/02/26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2026
Honduran National Unlawfully Residing in the United States Sentenced to 17½ Years in Federal Prison for Selling Fentanyl that Resulted in a Fatal Overdose
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Honduran national unlawfully residing in the United States has been sentenced to 17½ years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in the September 2023 fatal overdose of a 30‑year‑old Milwaukie father, fiancé, and son.
“The defendant came to this country illegally and chose to profit from poisoning our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford. “His actions cost a young father his life, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of that choice. This office will continue to pursue significant penalties for those who violate our immigration laws and traffic fentanyl into our communities.”
Martinez pleaded guilty on May 6, 2026, to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and alien in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Martinez was part of a conspiracy operating a fentanyl manufacturing and distribution hub from his residence in Gladstone, Oregon. On Nov. 16, 2023, he was stopped while driving back from California with more than a kilogram of fentanyl in his vehicle. A subsequent federal search warrant at his residence led to the seizure of additional fentanyl powder and counterfeit pills, a pill‑press operation, cutting agents, thousands of dollars in cash, and nine firearms.
As part of his plea agreement, Martinez admitted supplying fentanyl to another dealer who later sold the drug to the victim, who consumed it and died on Sept. 26, 2023, from acute fentanyl toxicity. At sentencing, loved ones described the victim as a loving and devoted father, fiancé, son, and coworker.
The dealer who sold the fentanyl to the victim has also been charged, and his case is pending. The dealer who purchased the fentanyl from Martinez, and then sold it to the victim, told investigators he had purchased between 30 and 50 pounds of fentanyl powder and more than 100,000 counterfeit pills from Martinez over an 18‑month period. Thirty pounds of fentanyl is equivalent to an estimated 6.8 million potentially lethal doses.
Given Martinez’s large‑scale trafficking activity, possession of multiple firearms, and admission that his conduct resulted in the victim’s death, federal prosecutors said the sentence was necessary to send a “clear message to the defendant, other fentanyl dealers, and the community that such conduct will not be tolerated.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin prosecuted the case with investigative support from the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF), the Washington County Interagency Narcotics (WIN) Team, the FBI, and other local law enforcement partners.
This arrest is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a nationwide partnership focused on dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad. The task force prioritizes offenses involving children and uses all available legal tools to remove violent criminal offenders unlawfully present in the country.
HSTF Portland includes members from the FBI, HSI, DEA, USMS, IRS‑CI, ATF, USPIS, CBP, TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Oregon Air and Army National Guard Counterdrug Program, and the Oregon‑Idaho HIDTA, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
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