Colin Hugh Martin
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January 18, 2018 - 9:00 PM
A Shuswap man recently extradited to the U.S. on allegations of drug trafficking continues to fight his charges.
Colin Hugh Martin of Malakwa pleaded not guilty in Seattle Court yesterday, Jan. 17, according to U.S. court documents. He stands charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in connection to an alleged smuggling operation involving large quantities of marijuana, MDMA and cocaine between 2007 and 2009.
Martin, who had been fighting his extradition to the U.S. for years, turned himself in to the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment in December 2017 for surrender to U.S. authorities.
Martin is due to stand trial before a jury on March 26, 2018, court documents say.
He remains in custody in the U.S. following a detention hearing on Jan. 17. The prosecution argued for detainment on the basis of Martin’s risk to the public and risk of fleeing, as well as the severity of the drug offence, which carries a maximum penalty in excess of 10 years.
Martin is the last of the defendants in the case to be sentenced.
In 2014, Martin was sentenced to two years in jail in Canada for marijuana production for the purpose of trafficking. The case involved a large, sophisticated grow-operation on a Malakwa property.
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