Man gets prison for trafficking in cocaine in Orrville

An illegal immigrant from Mexico was sentenced to prison Sept. 29 for drug trafficking in Orrville.

Jose Gonzalez Martinez, also known as Gamaliel Lopez Cruz, 27, 930 Hostetler Road, Apt. P, was sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of trafficking in cocaine, four of which were first-degree felonies, with only three years of the sentence mandatory.

Before he pleaded guilty, Martinez faced 16 years in prison on all counts. He now faces five years on post-release control upon his release, along with a five-year driver's license suspension.

Judge Corey Spitler presided over the case in Wayne County Common Pleas Court.

The charges stem from large-scale drug deals involving Martinez made by undercover informants working for the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency between March and May.

Donald Hall, director of Medway, said Martinez operated under several aliases, and the drug agency learned of Martinez when they heard of someone with the street name "Chepe" dealing in Orrville.

"He was a substantial mover of cocaine," Hall said, and was a Mexican national living in the United States illegally.

But, Hall noted, as has been the case when Medway busted drug dealers in the county illegally, "he kept a low profile" and worked to maintain a normal life in the area.

Hall said the agency made several drug buys off of Martinez in excess of $9,000 worth of cocaine, or about 8 ounces.

The last drug buy culminated in a purchase of $3,000 worth of cocaine from Martinez, which led to his arrest in May. At that same time, there was a series of search warrants executed throughout Orrville with the help of police departments from Orrville, Rittman, Wooster, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, the Wooster Post of the State Highway Patrol and the FBI.

Hall said Medway is still investigating Martinez's involvement in the local drug trade.