Seven Western New York residents have been charged with 130 crimes stemming from the takedown of a fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine trafficking operation that New York Attorney General Letitia James said flooded communities in the Buffalo and Jamestown areas with the illegal drugs.
An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Niagara Falls Police Department (NFPD), seized nearly one kilogram of cocaine worth $30,000, over half a pound of methamphetamine worth $1,500, over one ounce of fentanyl worth $1,600, and more than $4,000 in cash.
The investigation included court-authorized wiretapping of cellular telephones. During the investigation, wiretaps captured numerous conversations between the defendants, who frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their illicit activities, such as referring to cocaine as “soft,” “hard,” or “girl,” fentanyl as “food” or “boy,” and methamphetamine as “cream.”
As alleged in the indictment, the central figure in the trafficking network, Ronnie Dupree, purchased large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from Dion Anderson, Kenneth Pringle, Antwain Jackson, and others. Dupree and Jackson traveled from Buffalo to Jamestown to meet customers and make sales. Anderson sold cocaine out of his home in Buffalo and provided cocaine to David Vaughn and others. A search warrant of Anderson’s home executed in November 2024 recovered over half a pound of cocaine, a scale with cocaine residue, and more than $4,000. Other members of the trafficking network, including Devan Huntington and Sabrina Leeper, sourced various types of drugs from Jackson, including methamphetamine.
If convicted on the top counts, Pringle faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, Dupree faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison, Anderson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and Jackson, Huntington, Leper, and Vaughn face maximum sentences of 10 years in prison.
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
“Today’s arraignment of these seven individuals, who continuously flooded our upstate neighborhoods with illicit and synthetic drugs, shows the determination we have when targeting those drug trafficking organizations poisoning our communities” stated DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “We are thankful to the New York Attorney General’s Office Organized Crime Task Force and the Niagara Falls Police Department for their partnership in keeping our neighborhoods safe and drug-free.”
Attorney General James would also like to thank the Buffalo Police Department and the New York State Army National Guard Counter Drug Task Force for their invaluable assistance in the investigation.
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