Mainer Victimized by Drug Smuggling Scam Released from Spanish Prison
Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, announced that J. Bryon Martin, a 77-year-old former pastor from Dresden, Maine, who was incarcerated abroad after falling victim to an international drug smuggling scam, was released from a Spanish prison and has been reunited with his family in the United States. Yesterday afternoon, Senator Collins called Mr. Martin to welcome him home.
Mr. Martin is one of at least 145 victims who have been arrested abroad for unknowingly carrying illegal narcotics across international borders after being deceived by global drug traffickers. This February, Senator Collins chaired a hearing that revealed this scam publicly for the first time.
Prior to his release, Mr. Martin had been incarcerated in a Spanish prison since July 2015 serving out a six-year sentence. Since learning about Mr. Martin’s imprisonment earlier this year, Senator Collins has worked to secure his release. Chairman Collins and Ranking Member Claire McCaskill led seven other Committee members in writing a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to work with foreign governments to reexamine the cases of incarcerated victims.
“It is wonderful news that Mr. Martin has finally been released from prison and will be reunited with his family,” said Senator Collins. “This was a truly tragic case, and I’m delighted that my staff and I were able to raise Mr. Martin’s case to the appropriate authorities and help facilitate his release.”
The Aging Committee’s hearing examined how these cruel, but very clever criminals contact seniors and draw them into a web of deceit. Typically, these con artists develop personal relationships, usually online, with the unsuspecting individual. Other seniors are told they have won a "free" trip as part of a sweepstakes. Once ensnared, the criminals then deceive the victims into inadvertently smuggling drugs by asking them to travel overseas, where they are given packages with sealed contents to carry across international borders, unknowingly becoming drug “mules.” As the senior tries to clear customs overseas, disaster can strike: officers may uncover the contraband and arrest the victim on charges of drug trafficking. That is what happened to Mr. Martin.
“This scam, which preys on seniors’ emotions, is undoubtedly one of the worst scams my Committee has uncovered,” Senator Collins continued. “It is outrageous that the individuals who perpetrate these crimes against seniors like Mr. Martin are free, likely targeting more unsuspecting people, while the victims languish in foreign prisons, thousands of miles from their families. I will continue to work to ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to pursue these criminals. I will also continue to raise awareness so that fewer seniors will fall victim to this scam.”
At the invitation of Senator Collins, Andy Martin, Mr. Martin’s son, testified at the Aging Committee’s February hearing where he described his father’s ordeal.
"On behalf of myself and our family, I want to thank Senator Collins and her staff for leading the effort to gain my father's early release,” said Andy Martin. “I am blown away by the level of commitment the Senator and her staff showed my father and our family throughout this ordeal. I also appreciate the collective efforts of Ranking Member McCaskill and the other members of the Aging Committee for their advocacy.”
“I can't say enough about those at the Department of State, especially our Embassy in Madrid, who frequently visited and cared for Dad while he was in prison,” Andy Martin continued. “I also want to thank the Spanish government for keeping Dad safe and for their willingness to release him after one year when the sentence called for six. Last but not least, a special thanks to Dad's attorney in Madrid, Matthias Wiegner, for his love, friendship, and devoted representation of my father."
