Foreign National Sentenced to 15 Years on Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges

PROVIDENCE –A Dominican national in the United States illegally, who admitted to using several alias and who was previously convicted and incarcerated in federal and state prisons on drug trafficking charges, was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, and being an alien and a felon in possession of a firearm.

Marcio Alexandro Martinez-Lara, 45, a native of Bani, Dominican Republic, has been detained in federal custody since July 19, 2017, when members of the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force concluded an investigation into his drug trafficking activities, which included seizures of significant quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Between October 27, 2016 and June 14, 2017, numerous controlled purchases totaling more than 80 grams of fentanyl and nearly 21 grams of fentanyl-laced cocaine were made from Martinez-Lara.

 On July 19, 2017, law enforcement simultaneously executed court-authorized search warrants at Martinez-Lara’s Providence residence, his Cranston business, a drug stash house under his control in Cranston, and two vehicles.

Martinez-Lara was arrested as he left the Cranston stash house prior to the execution of the search warrant. He was found to be carrying 100 grams of fentanyl stashed inside his clothing. From inside the stash house, law enforcement seized 1,281grams of fentanyl, 1,148 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin, 106 grams of methamphetamine, and nearly 29 grams of cocaine. Also seized was a loaded semi-automatic 40-caliber firearm.

Martinez-Lara’s sentence of 15 years (180 months) imprisonment followed by 5 years supervised release, imposed by United States District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division Brian D. Boyle.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 235 months to 293 months. As stipulated in a plea agreement filed with the Court, the government and the defense recommended the Court impose a sentence of 15 years incarceration.

According to court records, in October 1997, Martinez-Lara was convicted in federal court on cocaine trafficking charges and subsequently sentenced to 121 months in federal prison; in April 1998 Martinez-Lara was convicted in Rhode Island state court on delivery of schedule I/II controlled substances and conspiracy charges and sentenced to 10 years in state prison – 18 months to serve with 102 months suspended with probation; and on June 9, 2016, Martinez-Lara was arrested by Providence Police and released on bail on a charge of delivery of heroin. He was awaiting trial at the time of his most recent arrest by members of the DEA Drug Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan.

The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force is comprised of agents and law enforcement officers from the DEA, ATF, Rhode Island State Police, and Providence, Cranston, East Providence, Central Falls, Newport, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, and Woonsocket Police Departments.