Guilty Plea in Attempt to Possess Mass Quantity of ‘Boot,’ an Illegal Psychostimulant Imported from China

            WASHINGTON – One day before he was scheduled to go to trial, Marvin Benjamin Martin, 32, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today in federal court atttempted possession with intent to distribute dipentylone, an illegal psychostimulant known as “boot,” which was imported from China, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Martin pleaded guilty before Judge Beryl A. Howell to attempted possession with intent to distribute N,N Dimethylpentylone hydrochloride. Judge Howell scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2025. Martin is eligible for up to 20 years in prison.

            According to court documents, in early 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington D.C. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area group (HIDTA) was conducting an ongoing investigation into illegal shipments of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals originating in China. In February 2024, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized a package at the International Mail Facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).The package, addressed to “Martin Hall” on 58^th Street SE. had been mailed from China, and contained 10 kilos of boot.

            HSI agents swapped out the boot in the package for sham materials and added a GPS tracking device.

            On March 7, 2024, HIDTA, comprised of HSI, the Metropolitan Police Department, and officers from various other agencies, delivered the package to the front steps of the residence on 58^th Street around 11:27 a.m. The officers watched as Martin retrieved the package, took it back to his vehicle, and drove off.

            About an hour later, Martin discarded the empty package while keeping what he believed to be real drugs. At 12:37 p.m., investigators found Martin driving in a nearby residential neighborhood and attempted to detain him. Martin sped off and crashed into a minivan and fence before evading officers.

            Agents subsequently found Martin at a home in Lanham, Maryland, and attempted to block him in with their vehicles. Martin accelerated his car towards the agents, striking the front side of an agent’s vehicle at high speed. About two hours later, agents again found Martin at the Lanham residence, this time in his undamaged car, a Mercedes sedan. Officers positioned their vehicles to block the street and Martin again drove his car towards the agents at a high speed. He swerved onto a sidewalk and hit a tree while accelerating past agents’ vehicles, once again evading capture.

            On April 10, 2024, Martin was arrested in Annapolis, Maryland. From his multiple phones, agents recovered evidence showing that he had been selling boot and other narcotics, for years leading up to his arrest. The investigation also showed that Martin paid about $40,000 to $50,000 for the box of 10 kilograms of boot and would sell it for anywhere between $125 to $200 an ounce. From his phones, agents also found a DOJ press release links of other boot trafficking convictions that Martin shared with other individuals, showing knowledge of his criminal conduct

            This case was investigated by Homeland Security Washington D.C. High Intensity Drug Traffic Area group (HIDTA), the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Annapolis Police Department.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Anthony Scarpelli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking section (VCNT) of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

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