New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the dismantling of a huge narcotics trafficking ring that transported large amounts of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin throughout Western New York and Puerto Rico.
The Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) conducted an investigation that resulted in the recovery of over 10 kilograms of cocaine worth about $500,000, as well as over 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin for an estimated $12,500.
The inquiry discovered that the narcotics were reportedly shipped from Puerto Rico to Western New York, where the defendants distributed the drugs to resellers who sold them throughout the region. 17 people were charged with 117 offenses for their roles in the drug trafficking ring, which operated throughout Erie, Monroe, Niagara, and Onondaga counties, as well as Puerto Rico.
“My office continues to dismantle dangerous drug trafficking rings across our state, taking deadly amounts of fentanyl and other drugs off our streets,” James said in a statement Thursday. “Today’s takedown should serve as a reminder to all New Yorkers that we will do whatever it takes to safeguard our communities from life-threatening drugs. I commend my law enforcement allies for their ongoing efforts to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The OAG launched its investigation in September 2024, first focusing on narcotics trafficking on Buffalo’s lower West Side. The inquiry found that Oscar Romero, Victor Quinones, Hector Oquendo, and Raymond Pizarro Rivera were selling cocaine to resellers throughout Western New York.
According to sources in Puerto Rico, the narcotics were mailed to the defendants in custom boxes containing two-kilogram blocks and delivered to numerous places throughout the region. The defendants would then prepare the narcotics for resale and distribute them to resellers and consumers throughout Western New York.
Resellers were contacted by audio and text messages to arrange meetings, which included a barbershop in Cheektowaga and a local eatery in Buffalo. In messages to resellers, the defendants used codewords to describe the drugs, such as “soft” for powder cocaine and “F” for fentanyl.
11 people from Western New York were charged for their roles as resellers in the drug trafficking ring. These defendants would pick up the packages at the agreed-upon places and prepare the narcotics for sale. Preparations frequently involved repackaging a kilogram block of cocaine into smaller parcels of varying weights.
Approximately eight kilograms of cocaine were recovered from shipments delivered to several sites in Western New York. Three packages addressed from Puerto Rico containing six kilograms of cocaine were seized by US Postal Inspectors in Onondaga County, while two kilograms were seized during a traffic stop in Erie County.
In addition to the eight kilograms, two kilograms of cocaine were recovered during a second traffic stop in Erie County, as well as about 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin.
The OCTF led the investigation in collaboration with the New York State Police (NYSP), as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies such as NYSP Troop A Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team (VGNET), NYSP Special Investigations Unit Buffalo (SIU), the United States Postal Inspectors (USPI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Erie County Crime Analysis Center (ECAC), and the United States Marshals. The year-long investigation, which included covert monitoring and hundreds of hours of wiretaps on over two dozen target phones, was aimed at locating fentanyl and cocaine dealers operating in Western New York and Puerto Rico.
The 117-count indictment, unsealed Thursday in Erie County Court, charges the defendants with crimes related to the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance (class A, B, C, and D felonies) and conspiracy in the second degree (a class B felony).
The following people were charged:
- Erik Arias, 33, of Buffalo
- Richard Calderon Cruz, AKA Richard Calderon, AKA Richard Cruz, 41, of Cheektowaga
- Jesus Oliveras Feliciano, AKA Jesus Oliveras Felician, 37, of Buffalo
- Luis Galarza, Jr., 40, of Buffalo
- Shirley Lopez, 49, of Buffalo
- Edwin Maldonado, 59, of Lackawanna
- A. Cesari McDougall, 54, of Buffalo
- Arami Morales, 30, of Rochester
- Wilfredo Morales, 64, of Buffalo
- Angel Oquendo, AKA Angel Alejandro Oquendo AKA Angel Alejandrooquendo, 48, of Puerto Rico
- Hector Oquendo, AKA Hector Alejandro Oquendo AKA Hector Alejandrooquendo, 56, of Buffalo
- Edward Parmer, 48, of Niagara Falls
- Luis Pumarejo, 44, of Buffalo
- Victor Quinones, 50, of Buffalo
- Raymond Pizarro Rivera, 28, last known address is in Buffalo
- Oscar Romero, 46, of Buffalo, NY
- Justino Santos, 40, of Buffalo, NY
Quinones’s and Galarza, Jr.’s distribution business led in multiple charges, including operating as a major trafficker, which carries a possible penalty of life in prison.
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