Illegal Arrested 5 Times for Drugs

(San Francisco, California) The city is out of control.

If Mayor Gavin Newsom is serious about tightening up San Francisco's sanctuary laws, he might want to take a look at the case of Marco Martinez - a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador who has been arrested by police five times in the past year and a half for allegedly selling crack cocaine but has never wound up in the feds' hands.

According to police records, Martinez first appeared on the radar here Oct. 6, 2006, when he sold crack to an undercover officer in United Nations Plaza. He was booked into jail, but quickly posted $35,000 bail and was released - long before the Sheriff's Department said it could conduct a background check to determine if the federal immigration officials should be notified.

Ten days later, Martinez was picked up again for selling crack to an undercover officer - this time at the corner of Hyde Street and Golden Gate Avenue.

Again, Martinez went to jail, posted $35,000 bail and left without the feds ever being notified.

On Dec. 31, Martinez was arrested a third time at the same corner. He quickly made the $35,000 bail and was released, again without the feds getting a heads up.

Fast forward to April 19, 2007 - when once again, Martinez was busted for allegedly selling crack to an undercover cop at Hyde and Golden Gate. This time he was also charged with carrying a knife.
And again, Martinez made bail and walked.

Then this past July 1, Martinez pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his first three arrests in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the fourth case. Records show that the judge sentenced Martinez to drug court, an alternative treatment program that originally was intended to rehabilitate drug addicts.

The rehab effort was short-lived. Within two weeks, Martinez was arrested a fifth time - once again for allegedly selling crack, at Hyde and Ellis streets, three blocks from his usual haunt.

After the fifth arrest, the feds were informed.

There's a lot of finger-pointing and excuse-making regarding this case but no one seems to care that the citizens of San Francisco are being denied effective law enforcement.