Letitia James celebrates 'major' convictions

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that her office has convicted 14 people for trafficking “significant” quantities of fentanyl in the northwest part of her state.

According to the release from James' office, the defendants pleaded guilty and were found guilty of selling more than $250,000 worth of cocaine and “thousands of fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone” in Erie and New York counties. Niagara. Prosecutors said the convicted individuals were “central figures” in a drug trafficking ring, as some were sentenced to state prison.

“We have convicted 14 people for trafficking significant quantities of fentanyl in Western New York,” James said in a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is killing lives in New York, and we will continue to work with [New York State Police] And [the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of New York] to eliminate it from our streets and protect our communities.

James' office said an 18-month investigation into the trafficking ring led to the seizure of approximately 1,440 counterfeit prescriptions for fentanyl M30 pills and nearly a kilogram of cocaine, worth a combined of approximately $130,000. The investigation was conducted in partnership between the Attorney General's Office, the DEA's Buffalo District Office and the New York State Police Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team.

“This investigation and the convictions against these 14 individuals demonstrate the commitment we share with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous drugs off our streets,” said Police Supt. New York State Steven James in the release. “These individuals had no respect for the impact of their actions on users or the rest of the community.”

The investigation included physical and court-authorized wiretaps on cell phones that led authorities to “the central figure in the Buffalo-based trafficking ring, Charles Sims.” According to the release, Sims purchased large quantities of cocaine from his co-defendants, Musa Ramadan, Tevin Jeter, Eric Richmond and others. Sims then allegedly supplied the cocaine to co-defendants Michael McPhee, Devon Jones, Gregory Miller and others, who resold the drugs.

Miller, who prosecutors say is now deceased, also obtained a large quantity of fentanyl pills from co-defendant Michael Clark Jr., who then supplied the drugs for resale to defendant Anthony Fugate. Tajine Benning, who also pleaded guilty in the case, was a client of Sims and was the subject of a traffic stop that led to the seizure of a loaded .45 caliber pistol.

All 14 defendants in the case were sentenced by Erie County Judge James Bargnesi. Sentences ranged from five years probation for lower-level misdemeanors to nine years in prison for those convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a Class A-II felony.

A full list of defendants and their convictions can be found here.

News week contacted James' office via email for additional comment Thursday evening.