PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A drug mule caught in Oregon’s largest meth bust has been sentenced after he was found with more than $1 million worth of drugs hidden in his truck.
The drugs were found on January 14, 2014, when truck driver Salvador Martinez-Perez was driving on Hwy 97 and rolled his semi. According to court documents, when the tow company started unloading pallets of fresh produce, they found 190 pounds of crystal meth, 16.5 pounds of cocaine and 11.5 pounds of heroin.
According to court documents, this remains the largest known meth seizure in Oregon history.
Martinez-Perez told police he didn’t know there were drugs in his truck and plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute drugs.
“The defendant was a mule tasked with transporting large quantities of drugs in a semi-tractor,” court documents revealed. “Defendant knew there were drugs in the load but did not have much information about who placed the drugs in the semi-tractor.”
On August 2, 2016 Martinez-Perez was sentenced to 51 months in jail and 5 years of supervised release.
