An Alabama man was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Thursday for his role in a multi-state cocaine trafficking operation that moved huge amounts of narcotics to multiple locations, including Buffalo.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, James Walker, 71, of Huntsville, Alabama, was guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, as well as to distribute, a cocaine-containing mixture and substance.
Prosecutors claim that between February and July 25, 2018, Walker plotted with Adrian Goudelock, Eric Young, and others to transport and distribute cocaine across the country.
Walker allegedly possessed a commercial tractor-trailer that had been outfitted with a “lined hidden compartment for the purpose of concealing bulk cocaine and/or bulk currency.”” Prosecutors claim Walker hired Young to drive the vehicle to the Western District of New York with considerable amounts of cocaine on at least two times.
According to investigators, Walker briefed Young about the hidden compartment and directed him to work with co-conspirators to arrange cocaine delivery and collect cash earnings from sales.
Walker allegedly told Young in June 2018 to make “three drops of 20 kilograms each” in Cleveland, Buffalo, and New York, using an encrypted messaging app.
On June 21, 2018, law enforcement witnessed co-conspirators bringing a duffle bag containing cocaine into a stash place and also documented phone communications between Walker and Goudelock, who prosecutors called as “the bulk cocaine purchaser in Buffalo.”
The inquiry was completed on July 25, 2018, when investigators discovered Young and Walker’s tractor-trailer in a parking lot in West Seneca. Investigators said they watched the exchange of two duffel bags: one carrying 52 bundles of US dollars “wrapped, taped, and labeled exactly how Walker had told Young they would be packaged,” and the other holding 17 kilograms of cocaine.
A later search of the tractor-trailer revealed a secret compartment in the sleeper cab, where officers discovered “three plastic wrapped packages of bulk U.S. currency totaling $145,380,” which prosecutors claimed was payment for a previous cocaine shipment.
According to federal authorities, $664,960 was taken from Walker’s tractor-trailer.
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