A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on March 17, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Dustin Joe Martinez, 33, from Sutherland, Iowa, pled guilty on October 21, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Martinez was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on June 3, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Martinez was on federal supervised release for this offense beginning on January 16, 2016.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from 2019 and through March 2021, Martinez and others distributed methamphetamine. On two separate occasions, in March of 2020 and March of 2021, Martinez was found in possession of approximately one ounce of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Martinez was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of five years of supervised release following imprisonment. Martinez was also sentenced to a consecutive term of 24 months’ imprisonment for violations of his previously imposed federal supervised release. Therefore, Martinez was sentenced to a total term of 111 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Spencer Police Department, O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4032. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.