Fla. woman charged after large seizure of fentanyl pills
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JAMESTOWN -- A Florida woman reportedly found with more than 9 pounds of fentanyl pills during a traffic stop last week in Jamestown is now facing a federal charge.
The U.S. Attorney's Office on Tuesday announced that 64-year-old Elina Martinez of Miami, Fla., was arrested on a criminal complaint for possession with intent to distribute, and distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Martinez was stopped Dec. 7 on North Main Street for traffic violations, though the vehicle was being tracked as part of a narcotics investigation. She gave police a Florida driver's license and car rental paperwork for the vehicle.
After Martinez reportedly consented to a search, police discovered "suspicious powder residue" inside a suitcase. Two K-9 dogs were then brought to the scene, and each alerted to the presence of drugs, U.S. Attorney Trini Ross said in a news release.
Officers found a plastic bag of pills "secreted in (the) battery of the car," the office said. The pills later tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Jamestown police last week first announced the large seizure, noting that about 50,000 to 60,000 fentanyl pills had been recovered in the traffic stop. Police had estimated the street value of the pills at $500,000; however, Ross on Tuesday said the fentanyl -- designed to look like an authentic M30 Oxycodone tablet -- was worth about $1.3 million.
The charge announced this week carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. Martinez was ordered held following a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr.
The Florida woman's arrest occurred the same day 19 people were identified as allegedly being involved in a "large scale fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution ring" in Jamestown and the town of Ellicott.
Search warrants were served Dec. 7 at three locations: 628 Spring St. and 15 W. Cowden St. in the city and 252 W. Main St. in the village of Falconer. Members of the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, investigators with the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office and the Ellicott Police Department assisted in the case.
Facing charges as a result of the alleged distribution ring are: Wilfredo M. Castrillo, 46; Rachel R. Kalb, 30; Teresa A. Davis, 59; Carlos Gonzalez, 38; Warren Dinkins, 59; Craig Vanhook, 33; Dwayne A. Lowery, 28; Alvin J. Jusino, 28; Scott Wynn, 47; Russell Sims, 29; Delbert Clark, 55; Melissa Catherman, 44; Kimberly Brandow, 46; Izena Rhone, 33; Patricia Curry, 45; Robin Miller, 33; Zaid Mendoza, 44; Huntyr Swanson, 22; and Cora Waddington, 33.
Miller lives in Stockton; the others are residents of Jamestown.