The NYS Attorney General’s Office reported that 17 people had been charged as part of an investigation into a cocaine trafficking conspiracy in Western New York and Puerto Rico.
According to Attorney General Letitia James, the drug trafficking ring operated in Monroe County, Erie County, Niagara County, Onondaga County, and Puerto Rico. She claimed that the ring trafficked large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin in those locations.
The investigation began in September 2024 and centered on Buffalo’s lower west side. Oscar Romero, Victor Quinones, Hector Oquendo, and Raymond Pizzaro Rivera were accused of acquiring cocaine bricks via mail from Puerto Rico and then distributing them to resellers and users in the region.
According to investigators, the four suspects would contact the resellers via text or audio messages before meeting in locations such as a barbershop in Cheektowaga and eateries in Buffalo.
The AG’s Office stated that eight kilograms of cocaine were collected from packages delivered across the region, with three packages intercepted in Onondaga County, four kilos in Erie County, and about 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin seized during the investigation.
According to investigators, the suspects would meet with the resellers at various sites in Cheektowaga and Buffalo and use codewords to deliver the drugs. Eleven accused resellers from the Western New York region were detained and charged.
In addition to Romero, Quinones, Oquendo, and Rivera, the following individuals were listed as suspects:
- Erik Arias of Buffalo
- Richard Calderon of Cheektowaga
- Jesus Oliveras Feliciano of Buffalo
- Luis Galarza Jr. of Buffalo
- Shirley Lopez of Buffalo
- Edwin Maldonado of Lackawanna
- A. Cesari McDougall of Buffalo
- Arami Morales of Rochester
- Wilfredo Morales of Buffalo
- Edward Parmer of Niagara Falls
- Luis Pumarejo of Buffalo
- Justino Santos of Buffalo
All of the individuals were charged in a 117-count indictment with various counts of unlawful sale and possession of a controlled narcotic, as well as second-degree conspiracy.
Quinones and Galarza were additionally accused with being significant traffickers, which carries a maximum term of life in jail.
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