A massive stash of fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills has landed an Avondale man in federal prison. Authorities say 25-year-old Jose De Jesus Martinez delivered a load of counterfeit oxycodone tablets laced with fentanyl, roughly 150,000 pills weighing about 13.3 kilograms in all. Martinez was arrested near Phoenix on May 5, 2025, and will now serve five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai handed down the sentence on Monday, July 13. The case, listed as CR-25-00829-PHX-SHD, grew out of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation that brought multiple agencies under one operation.
How the bust unfolded
Investigators say they intercepted Martinez on May 5, 2025, as he was in the middle of delivering the pills. Agents seized about 150,000 counterfeit oxycodone tablets containing fentanyl, with a total weight of roughly 13.3 kilograms. As reported by KTAR, local partners including the Glendale Police Department assisted in the takedown.
Why prosecutors called it dangerous
Federal officials stress just how lethal fentanyl can be. The Drug Enforcement Administration notes the synthetic opioid is about 50 times more potent than heroin and that as little as two milligrams can be deadly. The U.S. Attorney’s Office added that counterfeit pills made to look like legitimate prescriptions are often sold through social media and other unauthorized sources, and said the case was handled under the HSTF initiative titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
Local context and response
Maricopa County officials have labeled fentanyl a top public-health priority, saying the drug has surpassed meth as the deadliest substance in Arizona and that the county now averages more than three fentanyl-related deaths per day. The county’s “Focus on Fentanyl” hub consolidates prevention resources, naloxone training, and community outreach tools to warn residents and support families hit by the crisis.
Martinez’s sentence is part of a recent string of federal prosecutions targeting pill-production and distribution networks serving the Phoenix area. Authorities continue to urge people to avoid buying medications from social media or other unauthorized sellers and to seek treatment and support for substance use disorders.
