Special to The Leader

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 37-year-old Orange man has been sentenced to prison for federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston on Tuesday.

Kenneth Martin, Jr., was found guilty by a jury on July 13, 2016 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark.

According to information presented in court, from September 2015 to February 2016, Martin conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in and around the Orange County, Texas area. Evidence presented at trial indicated that Kenneth Martin, Jr., who was traveling with his cousin and co-defendant, Brandon Martin, were stopped by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies for traffic violations. Brandon Martin, who was the driver of the vehicle, gave officers verbal consent to search the vehicle and officers located a magnetic key box under the left front wheel well. This is the same location from where officers observed Brandon Martin a few days earlier, retrieve suspected methamphetamine. Kenneth Martin, Jr. was searched and found to have a small amount of methamphetamine in his pocket and both Brandon and Kenneth Martin were arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail. Once at the jail, Kenneth Martin repeatedly advised officers that the substance found in the magnetic box was all his and Brandon had nothing to do with it.

This case is the result of an extensive joint investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle S. Englade.