Man sentenced to 11 years on drug charges - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Man sentenced to 11 years on drug charges

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The following is a Press Release from the Western District of Louisiana:

United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Harlis Ramsey Martin, 30, of Pitkin, La., was sentenced to 140 months in prison and five years supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi as a result of Martin's plea of guilty in March of 2012.

In May of 2011, Martin and three others were indicted on drug charges as a result of a joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. On June 11, 2010, while traveling from Houston to Louisiana, Martin and his co-defendant, Kimberly Thompson, were stopped by Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's deputies in Sulphur, La. for illegally tinted windows. Thompson was found to be in possession of 21 grams of methamphetamine.

Martin admitted to manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine with Thompson and also going to Texas to obtain methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Finley stated: "This case should send a message to anyone who sells drugs that it is just a matter of time before you get caught. The U.S. Attorney's Office, along with its law enforcement partners, will not be hindered or deterred in the prosecution of drug traffickers who bring illegal substances into our communities."

OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation's primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and Texas Department of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brett Grayson.