TOPEKA – An Ohio man who was stopped in Ellsworth County with more than $1 million in his vehicle pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal drug trafficking charge, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. 

Joseph Michael Martin, 41, Euclid, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. On Sept. 20, 2018, the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped Martin on I-70 in Ellsworth County for speeding. When troopers searched the 2016 GM pickup truck Martin was driving, they found $1,124,840 in bundles wrapped in red plastic. The bundles were concealed in metal pipes with welded caps that were in the bed of the truck. 

Sentencing is set for Jan. 12. He could face up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. McAllister commended the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough for their work on the case.