Avondale man receives 5-year sentence for distributing fentanyl

An Avondale man was sentenced to five years in prison last week after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, officials announced Wednesday.

Jose De Jesus Martinez, 25, was sentenced on Monday, July 13, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

His time in prison will be followed by three years of supervised release.

On May 5, 2025, Martinez was caught near Phoenix delivering around 150,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Agents seized the drugs, which amounted to 13.3 kilograms, and arrested Martinez.

Prosecutors explained that the man-made opioid is 50 times more potent than heroin, and just two milligrams is considered potentially deadly. They added that counterfeit pills containing fentanyl look nearly identical to other prescription pills and most commonly sold through social media and unauthorized sources.

Martinez’s prosecution was part of Homeland Security Task Force’s Protecting the American People Against Invasion initiative.

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