The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the takedown of a major drug trafficking ring distributing cocaine, fentanyl and heroin across New York and Puerto Rico.
As part of an investigation by the DEA, the Office of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office, investigators seized more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of $500,000, and about 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin worth an estimated $12,500. The investigation found that the narcotics were shipped from Puerto Rico to Western New York, where the defendants distributed drugs to resellers who, in turn, sold them across the region.
The bust resulted in 17 individuals being charged with 117 crimes for their roles in the drug trafficking operation in Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Onondaga counties in New York, and in Puerto Rico. Eleven individuals from across Western New York were charged for their roles as resellers Erik Arias, Richard Calderon, Jesus Oliveras Feliciano, Shirley Lopez, Edwin Maldonado, J.A. Cesari McDougall, Arami Morales, Wilfredo Morales, Edward Parmer, Luis Pumarejo, and Justino Santos.
“This operation highlights the effectiveness of law enforcement partnerships and our collective resolve to disrupt drug trafficking organizations operating throughout New York State,” DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam said. “These traffickers exploited the U.S. mail system to move kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico into Western New York, where the drugs were then processed and repackaged for distribution using coded messages. These individuals then used ordinary locations, including restaurants and a barbershop, to mask their drug activities.”
The investigation into the drug ring began in September 2024 and originally focused on trafficking on the lower west side of Buffalo. Investigators discovered that Oscar Romero, Victor Quinones, Hector Oquendo, and Raymond Pizarro Rivera were supplying cocaine to resellers in Western New York. Sources from Puerto Rico allegedly mailed the defendants the narcotics which were shipped to various addresses in the region. The defendants would then process the narcotics for resale. Resellers were contacted via audio and text messages to coordinate meeting locations, which included a barbershop in Cheektowaga and local restaurants in Buffalo.
“My office continues to dismantle dangerous drug trafficking rings across our state, taking deadly amounts of fentanyl and other drugs off our streets,” Attorney General James said. “Today’s takedown should remind all New Yorkers that we will stop at nothing to protect our communities from life-threatening drugs. I thank my partners in law enforcement for their continued work to keep New Yorkers safe.”