Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Louisville, KY – On June 27, 2025, following a five-day trial, a federal jury convicted two Shelbyville, Kentucky men of possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possessing firearms as convicted felons.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, U.S. Marshal Gary B. Burman of the of the U.S. Marshal Service for the Western District of Kentucky, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on December 15, 2022, Benjamin Quintero Martinez, 31, and Rodolfo Reyes Martinez, 27, aided and abetted by each other and others, possessed with intent to distribute over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, including possessing a pill press used to manufacture illicit pills containing fentanyl, over 200 grams of methamphetamine, and over 200 grams of cocaine. The defendants also possessed 7 firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Both defendants were prohibited from possessing firearms because they had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On July 7, 2014, in Shelby Circuit Court, Quintero Martinez was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance, cocaine, less than 4 grams, 1st degree, 1st offense, and tampering with physical evidence.
On January 4, 2016, in Henry Circuit Court, Quintero Martinez was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance, 1st degree, 1st offense (two counts).
On May 22, 2017, in Shelby Circuit Court, Quintero Martinez was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance, 1st degree, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of handgun by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence, and trafficking in a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.
On June 29, 2017, in Shelby Circuit Court, Quintero Martinez, was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance, methamphetamine, less than 2 grams, 1st degree, 1st offense.
On February 28, 2019, in Marshall Circuit Court, Reyes Martinez was convicted of complicity to escape, 2nd degree.
On July 19, 2022, in Shelby Circuit Court, Reyes Martinez, was convicted of convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Both are scheduled for sentencing on September 25, 2025, before a United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Quintero Martinez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, Reyes Martinez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and both face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The ATF, USMS, and LMPD investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Dahl and Josh Porter are prosecuting the case with assistance from paralegal Adela Alic.
This conviction is a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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