Two Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Crimes

BOISE – Jose Luis Gonzales, 40, of Twin Falls, and David Lee Martell, 47, of Nampa, were sentenced to federal prison this week for participating in a drug trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis.  Gonzales was sentenced Wednesday to ten years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.  Martell was sentenced yesterday to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.  Both were sentenced by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.

According to court records, investigators began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization distributing methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl in Idaho.  Their investigation determined that Gonzales and Martell were members of that organization.  Investigators arrested Gonzales on April 27, 2018, after he distributed approximately three ounces of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator.  Gonzales was on parole at the time due to prior convictions for possessing methamphetamine and unlawfully possessing a firearm by a felon.  Martell was arrested after the search of his residence on April 26, 2018, when investigators found approximately two ounces of methamphetamine, four grams of heroin, a digital scale, packaging materials, and a loaded .40 caliber pistol.  Martell also had prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine and for unlawfully possessing firearms by a felon.

Gonzales, Martell, and four others were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2018 for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl.  Martell pleaded guilty in October 2018 to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.  Gonzales pleaded guilty in November 2018 to distributing over fifty grams of pure methamphetamine.

A third defendant, Russell Anthony Antonucci, 50, of Boise, was sentenced on January 31, 2019, to 42 months in federal prison for his role in the offense.  The remaining three defendants are scheduled for sentencing in April 2019 at the federal courthouse in Boise.  Edouard Gribkoff, 37, of Ontario, Oregon, is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale on April 10, 2019.  Daniel Allen Gonzales, 44, of Boise and Roberto Jo Miguel Serpa, 40, of Caldwell, are scheduled for sentencing in front of Judge Winmill on April 15 and 16, 2019, respectively.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nampa Police Department.

The indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.