Heroin Dealer from Albany Pleads Guilty on Day of Trial

District Attorney P. David Soares announced that JOSE MARTINEZ, 28, of Albany, pleaded guilty to an indictment accusing him of (1) Count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B Felony, (1) Count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a Class C Felony, and (1) Count of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, a Violation, before the Honorable Peter A. Lynch in Albany County Court this morning.

An investigation led by the Albany Police Department uncovered that on September 23, 2013, at 5:19pm while in the area of Clinton Avenue in the City of Albany, MARTINEZ did possess 18 individually wrapped bundles of heroin, which contained 180 individually wrapped glassine envelopes.  MARTINEZ also had two plastic bags containing a quantity of marijuana in his possession. 

The People were ready for trial against MARTINEZ and jury selection was scheduled to begin this morning in Albany County Court.

MARTINEZ faces up to 12 years in State Prison when sentenced on December 9, 2014.

District Attorney Jasper Mills of the Street Crimes Unit is prosecuting this case.