Robert Jessie Martin, 45, of Alto, recently pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine before the U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love on April 9.
According to information presented in court, Martin conspired with others to possess with intent to distribute and distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
Within the conspiracy, Martin manufactured and distributed methamphetamine-laced pills.
Martin set up rotary tablet pill presses on his Cherokee County property to manufacture and press out hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills that were distributed throughout the United States for profit.
Martin recruited and supplied wholesale and mid-level distributors of the pills he manufactured.
On July 11, 2023, federal and state law enforcement executed a federal search and arrest warrant on Martin’s property. It seized five firearms, five rotary pill presses, 111.22 grams of actual methamphetamine, approximately 7,669 grams of methamphetamine in powder form and 29,283 methamphetamine-laced pills.
Based on a federal complaint, Martin was also arrested for possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.
Martin faces from 10 years to life in federal prison at sentencing.
The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); HSI Currency Narcotics Enforcement Team-Houston; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; the Jacksonville EDTX-2024-023 Police Department; and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen Hurst and Robert Austin Wells are prosecuting this case.