Dominican man sentenced to prison on drug trafficking charges and illegal reentry in Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Dominican man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, and for unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 52-year-old Francisco Alberto Martinez was sentenced on July 19, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton to 87 months in prison and five years of supervised release. On April 19, 2023, Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and cocaine; one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and cocaine; and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

On nine separate occasions between August 2018 and May 2019, Martinez sold fentanyl and cocaine to a cooperating witness. Martinez first unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date. In 2010, he was convicted in federal court in Boston of cocaine conspiracy and sentenced to 66 months in prison. Upon completion of his sentence in 2014, Martinez was deported to the Dominican Republic. Sometime after his removal, Martinez unlawfully reentered the United States and continued to distribute controlled substances.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Peabody Police Chief Thomas M. Griffin made the announcement. Assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk Sheriff’s Office; the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force; and the Peabody, Concord, Reading, Watertown, Braintree, Waltham, Woburn, Salem, Revere, and Beverly Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Estes, Charles Dell’Anno and Alathea Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.