A Providence man who was already on probation for a state drug trafficking conviction has been sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison on gun and cocaine charges. Luis Martinez, 47, was ordered to pay $1,400 in restitution and will serve four years of supervised release once he gets out, federal prosecutors said.
The sentence, handed down Wednesday, was announced by the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, according to WJAR. Martinez was arrested on May 7, 2025, while on state probation for a prior drug trafficking conviction, prosecutors said.
Court records detailed by Providence, RI Patch show Martinez had previously been convicted in Rhode Island state courts on felony firearm and drug trafficking charges, and was serving a term of state probation at the time of his arrest in this case.
A Lengthy List of Federal Charges
Martinez pleaded guilty to a sweeping set of federal counts tied to guns and drugs moving through Providence. He admitted to three counts of selling or transferring a firearm to a prohibited person and four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the same account from the station's report.
On the drug side, Martinez pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing cocaine, three counts of distributing cocaine base, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base. Patch's report notes that Martinez also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, tying the gun and drug counts together as part of the same scheme.
Age Discrepancy in Court Records
Most reporting on the case lists Martinez as 47 years old, but a separate indictment document from the U.S. Department of Justice identified him as 46 at the time charges were filed. The discrepancy between the two records has not been resolved.
Martinez's case echoes other federal firearm and drug prosecutions in the state. In a separate case, the Department of Justice announced that a North Providence man who sold more than 7,000 fentanyl-laced pills and a firearm while under surveillance by the Rhode Island FBI Safe Streets Task Force was sentenced to six years in federal prison on similar drug and firearm charges.
