Nolberto Martinez, 31, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison last Thursday for involvement with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexico-based drug organization.
Martinez was responsible for the importation of large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to Georgia. Bainbridge Public Safety Deputy Director Frank Green was involved in Martinez’s investigation, arrest and prosecution.
He was convicted in Federal Court in Albany.
“The investigation revealed Martinez received numerous 30-kilogram shipments of cocaine, and then distributed it in multi-kilo quantities to other cocaine traffickers,” Green said. “These traffickers included Carlos and Kelvin Johnson, who were buying five to 10 kilos at a cost of $30,000 per kilo from Martinez.”
Green said the Johnson brothers, who were sentenced to life in prison in June 2013 for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, obtained a total of 50 or more kilos of cocaine from Martinez.
“The sad reality is that this organization was responsible for taking millions of dollars away from families in an area of the state where there are some of the most poor and underprivileged families,” Green said. “That money was used to buy and sell millions of dollars worth of cocaine rather than support those families and their children.”
Green said he wanted to thank former BPS director Larry Funderburke and the assistance of the BPD CID unit at the time, the BPD Viper Unit, the DEA, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and both the Albany and Macon U.S. attorney offices for their assistance in sentencing Martinez and others.
“This was a very long term and hard worked investigation that led to the arrest of around 50 defendants,” Green said.