TWENTY-SIX INDICTED FEDERALLY IN MAJOR COCAINE RING
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Twenty-six individuals were indicted federally in a major cocaine ring which was dismantled early this morning by over 350 police officers. The execution of the multiple federal arrest and search warrants was conducted at 5:30 this morning. This three-month investigation was coordinated through the obtaining of state wire tap orders by District Attorney Frank J. Clark.
(Media-Newswire.com) - BUFFALO, N.Y. - Twenty-six individuals were indicted federally in a major cocaine ring which was dismantled early this morning by over 350 police officers. The execution of the multiple federal arrest and search warrants was conducted at 5:30 this morning. This three-month investigation was coordinated through the obtaining of state wire tap orders by District Attorney Frank J. Clark.
A federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned an 85-count indictment charging 26 men and women in the city of Buffalo, with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Crack cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York. The charges carry a penalty of at least ten years and in some cases could bring life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary C. Kane stated that the Indictment charges the defendants with distributing cocaine and crack cocaine over a six month period.
The indictment is a result of a cooperative investigation of local, state and federal law enforcement departments led by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police H. McCarthy Gipson, and Special Agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Resident Agent in Charge Brian Conneely, and included the Erie County District Attorney's Office, under the direction of District Attorney Frank J. Clark, New York State Police, under the direction of Major Christopher Cummings, the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Captain Timothy Murphy, and the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward F. Gehen. Those agencies, as well as the following federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in this morning's execution of search and arrest warrants - Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Amherst Police Department, Niagara County Sheriff's Department, Erie County Sheriff's Department, Cheektowaga Police Department, Hamburg Police Department, Orchard Park Police Department, Lackawanna Police Department, Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Department, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department, Town of Tonawanda Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
The evidence was presented to the Grand Jury by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Clare Kane and James Quinn Auricchio, who will handle the trials of these cases.
Charged in the indictment: Jerome C. Crosby, 52, of Loring Avenue, Patrick Perry, 43 of Wyoming Street; Wallace Peace, 34 of Northland Avenue; Ramone Perry, 27, of Northland Avenue; David Degree, 24, of Dartmouth Avenue; Victor Peoples, 33, of Northland Street; Terry Izzard, 31, of Brunswick Blvd.; Sean Greathouse-Williams, 35, of Erb Street; Rufus Feaster, 21, of Erb Street; David Watts, 34, of Stevens Street; Prentis Hinton, 30, of Loring Ave; William Putman, of Phyllis Street; Shawn Stevenson, 37, of Brinkman; Troy Gilchrist, 42, of Parkside Avenue; David Long, 28, of Hayden Street; Antoine Callahn, 21 of Blaine Avenue; Toni White, 5, of Kay Street; Mario Vance, 34, of Woodrow Avenue; Christopher Adams, 41, of Countess, Street; Victor Gatson, 49, of Fulton Street; Antonio Arrignton, 31, of Colvin Ave.; Demetrius Degree, 35, of Harriat Road; Khaled Hiley, 39, of Victoria Avenue; Demetrius Johnson, 35, of Elton Street; Woodie Johnson, 36, of Briggs Ave.; and Darryl Parker, 27, of Box Street.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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