Sutherland, Iowa — A Sutherland man has entered a guilty plea in federal district court in Sioux City to a charge of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
According to federal prosecutors, 33-year-old Dustin Joe Martinez, of Sutherland, entered the guilty plea late last week.
Prosecutors say that at the plea hearing, evidence showed that from 2019 to approximately March 2021, Martinez and others distributed at least 250 grams of methamphetamine mixture and 100 grams of pure methamphetamine. On two separate occasions, in March of 2020 and March of 2021, Martinez was found in possession of approximately one ounce of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to another person or persons.
Martinez had previously been convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine Within 1,000 Feet of a School and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on June 3, 2016, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, according to authorities.
Sentencing will be set after a presentence report is prepared.
Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. He faces a
mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, an $8,000,000 fine, and at least 8 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, Spencer Police Department, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
