Federal jury convicts Richmond drug trafficker for attempting to receive shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine

RICHMOND, Va. - A federal jury convicted a Richmond man yesterday on charges of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 8, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing approximately 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.1 kilograms of cocaine. The parcel was addressed to an individual who had agreed to receive it on behalf of Alexander Michael Martinez, aka Rambo, 34. On Feb. 10, 2023, law enforcement intercepted another package containing approximately the same quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine as the earlier package. The intended recipient of that package identified Martinez as their marijuana dealer.

In July 2023, law enforcement in Fresno, California, interdicted a package containing approximately 85 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine intended for delivery to Richmond. Agents replaced the seized controlled substances with "sham" narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery to Martinez at an arranged location at a truck stop in Ashland. When Martinez arrived, two boxes of sham narcotics were placed into the rear seat of Martinez's vehicle. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Martinez fled. After crashing his vehicle, Martinez attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody.

Martinez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Richmond District Office, DEA's Fresno District Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-144.