PORTLAND, Ore. — A Honduran national unlawfully residing in the United States has pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy connected to a deadly overdose in Clackamas County and for illegally possessing firearms.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, 21-year-old Cristhian Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, as well as alien in possession of a firearm. As part of the plea agreement, Martinez admitted that the fentanyl conspiracy resulted in the death of an adult victim.
Court documents show the investigation began in September 2023 after members of the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF) responded to a fatal overdose in Clackamas County. Investigators found counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills suspected to contain fentanyl, along with fentanyl powder, at the scene.
Authorities later identified Martinez as the supplier who sold fentanyl to the dealer connected to the victim’s overdose.
On Nov. 16, 2023, investigators tracked Martinez as he traveled north from California into Oregon. Law enforcement stopped his vehicle in Gladstone, where a K-9 search led to the discovery of multiple concealed packages containing more than one kilogram of compressed fentanyl.
Investigators later executed a search warrant at Martinez’s apartment in Gladstone. During the search, authorities seized additional fentanyl, a 20-ton shop press allegedly used to produce compressed fentanyl “bricks,” firearms, ammunition, and other materials associated with drug trafficking operations.
Martinez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $10 million fine, and five years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors said they will seek a sentence of 210 months in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026, before a U.S. District Court judge.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford announced the guilty plea.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force, and the Westside Interagency Narcotics team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin is prosecuting the case.
CCITF is led by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and includes personnel from the Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, and the Oregon National Guard Counterdrug Task Force. The task force receives support through the Public Safety Levy and funding from the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
The Westside Interagency Narcotics team is based in Washington County and includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro police departments, the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program.
Federal officials said the arrest was also part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159, which targets transnational criminal organizations, drug cartels, gang activity, and human trafficking operations operating within the United States.
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