Duluth Man Convicted Of Trafficking Meth Sentenced To Federal Prison

DULUTH, GA — A 56-year-old Duluth man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in metro Atlanta was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said Monday.

U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said charges against Jorge Rodriguez-Martinez stem from Oct. 7, 2020, when a confidential source working with authorities recorded phone calls with Rodriguez-Martinez regarding the purchase of methamphetamine.

Buchanan, with the Northern District of Georgia, said the confidential source was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. At the time, Rodriguez-Martinez was being surveilled by federal agents.

After the calls between the person and Rodriguez-Martinez, Buchanan said Rodriguez-Martinez met with a drug supplier at a Dunwoody apartment complex.

He then was accused of going to the confidential source's home, where he was accused of dropping off a truck containing multiple kilograms of methamphetamine. Buchanan said he then changed vehicles and drove away from the location.

Additional recorded phone calls show Rodriguez-Martinez confirmed the drugs were inside of the truck and agreed to return to pick up the drugs from the confidential source's home, which he did, Buchanan said.

The Georgia State Patrol then stopped Rodriguez-Martinez's car and found about three kilograms of methamphetamine on the front passenger floorboard, Buchanan said.

After a three-day trial, a federal jury on April 25 convicted Rodriguez-Martinez of one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, Buchanan said.

U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones on Friday sentenced Rodriguez-Martinez to serve 10 years in prison concurrently on each count followed by four years of supervised release, Buchanan said.

“Methamphetamine traffickers pose a grave threat to our communities and peddle these dangerous drugs in total disregard of the lives they place at risk,” Buchanan said in a news release. “Thanks to the coordinated and tireless efforts of our federal and state partners, Rodriguez-Martinez will now be held accountable for his crimes.”