New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday announced the indictment of 17 people for their roles in a major drug trafficking network that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine in Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, and Tompkins counties. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) seized more than 23 pounds of fentanyl worth more than $625,000 – OCTF’s largest single seizure of fentanyl powder, nearly four pounds of cocaine worth more than $125,000, and more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $32,000. 23 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill one New Yorker every six seconds for an entire year. The investigation also seized more than $880,000 in cash tied to the drug trafficking, as well as three illegal firearms, and two vehicles used to transport and distribute the drugs. The indictment unsealed today in Onondaga County Court charges the 17 defendants with 125 crimes.
The investigation spanned September 2024 through May 2025 and uncovered a drug trafficking ring centered around Jaquan Jones, a/k/a “Flame,” that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine to customers throughout Central New York. Jones bought significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Antonio Sanchez and others, and supplied drugs to a large network of dealers. These dealers included Etiem Berrios, Ronnie Evanciew, Tyler Forshee, Joshua Goyette, Gary Jordan, Cody Lane, Nicole Lighthall, Autumn Schneider, Heather Sharpsteen, Joshua Stimpson, Zachary Thornhill, and Amanda Valenti.
Jones would arrange sales over text message, telling his customers to meet at a common location where he would then arrive and sell to them all at once. The defendants used codewords to refer to the narcotics they were selling. “Soft” referred to cocaine, “fet” or “fetty” referred to fentanyl, and “ice” referred to methamphetamine. Jones’ customers then sold to their own customers throughout the region. Jones is charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a mandatory life sentence in state prison.
The investigation recovered approximately 22 pounds of fentanyl and 12 ounces of cocaine that Jones was storing in a garage attached to a house in Syracuse. A search of an apartment rented by Sanchez in Onondaga County led to the seizure of fentanyl mixed with heroin and ketamine, along with scales, glassines, and cutting agents.
Joshua Stimpson, who is also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, worked in conjunction with his partner, Autumn Schneider, and others to sell the drugs they bought from Jones throughout Oneida and Madison Counties. The investigation recovered more than five ounces of fentanyl, more than two ounces of cocaine, and five pounds of methamphetamine from their home.
The investigation revealed that Berrios also bought drugs from Alexander Medina. A search of Berrios’ home led to the seizure of an assault weapon, five extended magazines, approximately half a pound of cocaine, half an ounce of methamphetamine, and hundreds of wax envelopes containing a mix of heroin and fentanyl packaged for street sale. A search of Medina’s apartment led to the seizure of an illegal handgun, an assault weapon, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, and four ounces of cocaine.
The 17 individuals who were charged in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, and C felonies), and/or Conspiracy to commit those crimes, include:
- Etiem M. Berrios, 45 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY
- Ronnie R. Evanciew, 29 years old, of Taberg, NY
- Tyler J. Forshee, 30 years old, of Cortland, NY
- Joshua B. Goyette, 47 years old, of Freeville, NY
- Jaquan T. Jones, a/k/a “Flame”, 31 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY
- Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY
- Alexander Medina, 24 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Antonio Sanchez, 37 years old, of New Rochelle, NY
- Autumn R. Schneider, 28 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Heather R. Sharpsteen, 39 years old, of Groton, NY
- Joshua J. Stimpson, 29 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Zachary M. Thornhill, 36 years old, of Liverpool, NY
- Amanda L. Valenti, 41 years old, of Genoa, NY
“Traffickers who flood our communities with fentanyl and other drugs are threatening the important progress New York has made in reducing overdoses and fighting the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General James. “Thanks to the hard work of this investigation and our law enforcement partners, we took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off our streets. I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to put an end to these destructive drug trafficking rings and keep New Yorkers safe from dangerous narcotics.”
“Law enforcement is never stronger than when we work as a team,” said Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile. “I want to thank the Attorney General’s office and all our law enforcement partners throughout the state, for always being willing to collaborate to make our communities safer.”
“The excellent cooperation between the Office of the Attorney General and local law enforcement has once again led to striking a significant blow to the criminals that put poison on our streets and cause the death of innocent New Yorkers,” said Chief Patrick Phelan, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. “Everyone is safer when law enforcement works together.”
“This operation demonstrates the power of collaboration between local and state law enforcement in fighting the drug epidemic that is devastating our communities,” said Onondaga County Sheriff Tobias Shelley. “Taking these dangerous drugs and weapons off the streets will save lives and make our neighborhoods safer. The individuals charged today were trafficking quantities of fentanyl capable of mass destruction, and their arrests send a clear message that we will not tolerate this. I want to thank Attorney General James and all of our partner agencies for their continued commitment to protecting Central New York.”
“I am grateful for the relentless work of all of the investigators and partner agencies from the Attorney General’s Office, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and several state, county, and local law enforcement agencies that were all part of this investigation,” said Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol. “As a result of everyone’s work, 17 individuals involved in a major cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine trafficking ring that has been operating in the Central New York area are now off the streets and this criminal organization has been dismantled.”
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