New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the guilty pleas and sentencing of 14 individuals involved in a drug trafficking ring that distributed fentanyl pills and cocaine across Western New York. The convicted traffickers were responsible for selling over $250,000 worth of cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone throughout Erie and Niagara counties.
The investigation, spearheaded by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), led to the seizure of approximately 1,440 counterfeit prescription “M-30” fentanyl pills, nearly one kilogram of cocaine valued at $130,000, a loaded .45 caliber pistol, and more than $4,000 in cash. The central figures in the operation will serve state prison sentences as a result of their guilty pleas.
“Stopping drug trafficking operations that sell deadly narcotics is critical to keeping New Yorkers safe,” said Attorney General James. “Not only did these traffickers distribute deadly amounts of fentanyl, they put New Yorkers in even more danger by disguising their drugs as prescription pills. I want to thank our partners in law enforcement for helping to secure these convictions. My office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect New Yorkers’ safety and bring those fueling the opioid addiction crisis to justice.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James stated, “This investigation and the convictions against these 14 individuals are evidence of the commitment we share with our law enforcement partners in keeping dangerous drugs off our streets.” He added that these individuals had no regard for the impact on users or the community.
DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino emphasized the collaborative effort between DEA New York, New York’s Office of the Attorney General, New York State Police, and other law enforcement partners. He noted that removing these traffickers saves lives and prevents deaths.
The 18-month investigation was conducted with assistance from various agencies including DEA Buffalo District Office’s Tactical Diversion Squad and NYSP’s Violent Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (VGNET). Through physical surveillance and court-authorized wiretapping of cellular phones, investigators discovered that Charles Sims from Buffalo purchased large quantities of cocaine from Musa Ramadan, Tevin Jeter, Eric Richmond, among others. Sims then supplied this cocaine for resale to Michael McPhee, Devon Jones, Gregory Miller (now deceased), who also obtained counterfeit prescription “M-30” fentanyl pills from Michael Clark Jr., which were further distributed by Anthony Fugate.
Wiretaps revealed coded language used by traffickers such as referring to cocaine as “big eight,” “girl,” or “chicken,” and narcotics proceeds as “ticket,” “bread,” or “bones.”
The defendants pled guilty in Erie County Court before Judge James F. Bargnesi:
- Eric Richmond: Pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; sentenced to three years in prison plus two years post-release supervision.
- Charles Sims: Pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree; sentenced to nine years in prison plus five years post-release supervision.
- Musa Ramadan: Pled guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree; sentenced to eight years in prison plus five years post-release supervision.
- Tevin Jeter: Pled guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; sentenced to four years in prison plus two years post-release supervision.
- Michael McPhee: Pled guilty to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; sentenced to 3.5 years in prison plus three years post-release supervision.
- Devon Jones (a.k.a. "Dutch") & Jasper Lewis: Both pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree; each sentenced to 2.5 years in prison plus two years post-release supervision.
- Ronald Washington: Pled guilty to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; sentenced to five years probation.
- Negmarie Marcano: Pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree; sentenced to five years probation.
- Michael Clark Jr.: Pled guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree; sentenced to 3.5 years state prison plus five years post-release supervision.
- Anthony Fugate: Pled guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; sentenced to five years probation.
- Melanie Duchnik & Ronnie Cason: Both pled guilty separately to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in Fifth Degree; each sentenced five-year probation terms.
- Tajine Benning: Pled guilty Attempted Criminal Possession Weapon Second Degree; sentenced five-year imprisonment followed same duration post-release supervision.
Attorney General James extended her gratitude towards multiple agencies including Buffalo Police Department among others for their support during investigation directed DEA Special Agent Gregory Yensan under GS Jason Staab-Peters' leadership alongside OCTF Supervising Detective Ever S Quiñones supervised Upstate Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss.
Prosecution handled OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorneys Nathanael Kapperman Wendy Whiting supervised Upstate Deputy Chief Maria Moran Nicole Keary heads OCTF part Division led Chief Deputy Jose Maldonado Investigations overseen First Jennifer Levy