TAKEDOWN OF MAJOR WESTERN NEW YORK DRUG RING

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the takedown of a highly organized drug distribution organization which spanned from Southern California to western New York. During the investigation, approximately one and a half kilograms of cocaine, more than 650 grams of marijuana, and approximately $200,000 cash were seized.

Three separate indictments charge 25 people with crimes including Criminal Possession and/or Sale of Cocaine (class A-I felony), Conspiracy to Possess and Sell Cocaine (class B felony), Conspiracy in the Second Degree (class B felony) and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (class E felony), Criminal Sale of Marihuana in the Second Degree (class D felony), and Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the Third Degree (class E felony).

Today’s indictments are the result of a 19-month, multi-agency investigation dubbed “The City’s Finest,” which was led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (C-NET), with assistance from the City of Buffalo Police Department, the Town of Hamburg Police Department, and the New York State Division of Parole.