Mexican national living in Columbus sentenced to 10 years in prison for role in fentanyl conspiracy

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Mexican national was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 120 months in prison for conspiring to distribute kilogram quantities of fentanyl in Central Ohio for a supplier in Mexico.

According to court documents, Luis Martinez-Torres, 26, of Columbus, illegally entered the United States and distributed large quantities of narcotics at the behest of a dangerous drug cartel in Mexico.

Martinez-Torres would deliver requested amounts of fentanyl to buyers after the buyers contacted a dispatch telephone number.

In April 2023, Martinez-Torres and a co-conspirator possessed or distributed more than 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl, including approximately 6,290 fentanyl pills marked as Oxycodone.

This is the third time Martinez-Torres has been found in the United States illegally, and he faces deportation following his term of imprisonment.

Martinez-Torres was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

Several local drug task forces – including from Delaware, Hardin and Union counties – participated in the investigation.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz is representing the United States in this case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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