By Steve Pope

A southern Illinois Sheriff is behind bars today, accused by federal authorities of distributing more than two pounds of marijuana between April 27 and May 11, 2009. Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond Martin, 46 was arrested Monday, accused of distribution of marijuana, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of Illinois.

Martin was arrested Monday at his office and made his first appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Monday afternoon in Benton, Illinois. A preliminary and detention hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday at U.S. Court in Benton, according to the release.

Martin is accused in a five-count criminal complaint, of distributing marijuana and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

According to the complaint Martin in November 2008, approached a confidential source with the Drug Enforcement Administration asking him to sell the marijuana. The complaint alleges that Martin and the informant agreed to split the proceeds of the sale of the marijuana on a 50-50 basis. Each pound of marijuana was to sell for $1,000, the complaint says.

Martin provided the informant with his official Sheriff’s Department cell phone number and directed the informant to call him and “to speak in vague or purposely misleading terms” and “to never make specific references to marijuana during these calls” the complaint charges. During some of the conversations between the informant and Martin which were recorded by federal agents, Martin would refer to the pounds of marijuana as “cars,” the complaint alleges.

According to the complaint, Martin delivered about 10 pounds of marijuana to the informant on April 27, 2009 and on May 11, 2009, delivered another approximately 20 pounds of marijuana to the informant.

During both of these transactions, Martin was dressed in his uniform, operated his sheriff’s department vehicle and was armed with a “silver revolver," the complaint said.

Prosecutors alleged the deliveries occurred at a rural and remote location in southern Gallatin County, which is near the Kentucky-Illinois border.

The complaint also alleges that Martin in an attempt to determine if the informant was wearing a body wire “often utilizes a radio frequency detection device that has the appearance of a cellular telephone or pager to ensure that the (informant) is not wearing a radio transmitting device.”

According to the complaint, Martin was aware of others in Gallatin County who were selling marijuana and who Martin considered to be his competition. The informant told authorities that Martin “was gonna try and put the fear of God in (the competitor) and see if we can get him out of business,” the complaint says.

Martin allegedly told the informant that he could utilize his position as Sheriff to “protect the informant) from any criminal prosecution.”

Martin also allegedly told the informant that he could have the informant prosecuted for any type of crime he could “make up” stating “the States Attorney and Judges would believe Martin over the word of the informant,” the complaint said.
When the informant expressed his desire to terminate the relationship, Martin said “there was no getting out” and intimidated and threatened the informant on at least one occasion pointed his service revolver at him.

Each of the marijuana counts carry possible maximum sentences of five years, a fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least two years following any term if incarceration. The first firearm count carries a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment which must be served consecutively to any sentence on the drug counts, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years supervised release. The second firearm count carries a minimum penalty of 25 years imprisonment, which must be served consecutively to the sentences imposed on all other counts, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years supervised release. Both firearm counts carry a maximum penalty of life, according to the release