Meth dealer sentenced

A methamphetamine distributor was sentenced to 21 years in prison on March 15, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Rafael Pahua Martinez, 41, imported large quantities of the drug from Southern California, according to court documents. Martinez, a Mexican national who was living in Orland, was investigated for a year, during which time two undercover agents made four purchases of meth from him and his employees in Shasta and Tehama counties.

In each instance, the price was negotiated with Martinez, who sent couriers to handle the transactions in a public parking lot. On two other occasions, Martinez used employees to take cash to Southern California and return to Tehama County with tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine.