Raton Woman Sentenced to 66 Months for Federal Drug Trafficking Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Sara Marie Martinez, 36, of Raton, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 66 months in prison for her conviction on heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges.  Martinez will be on supervised release for six years after completing her prison sentence.  The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Division.

Martinez and her co-defendant Ernest Cordova, 45, of Albuquerque, were indicted on March 8, 2016.  The three-count indictment charged Cordova with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, and Cordova and Martinez with possessing heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  According to the indictment, Cordova and Martinez committed the three crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M. 

Cordova, who has six prior felony convictions, was arrested in Feb. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with trafficking in heroin and methamphetamine from Jan. 22, 2016 through Feb. 18, 2016.  According to the criminal complaint, DEA agents observed Cordova engage in several drug deals in the Albuquerque-area during this period.  During the execution of a search warrant at Cordova’s residence on Feb. 18, 2016, the DEA found 134 grams of heroin and 82 grams of methamphetamine. 

Martinez entered a guilty plea Aug. 9, 2016, to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges without the benefit of a plea agreement.

Cordova pled guilty to the indictment on March 14, 2016, without the benefit of a plea agreement.  Cordova was sentenced on Aug. 18, 2016, to 96 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander M. Uballez as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. In recognition that New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community has come together to is collaborating the initiative is significantly exceed the national average. 

The case was also prosecuted as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.  The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.  Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities.  Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. 

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning.  HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners.  Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.  Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.