Attorney General James Announces Convictions of Fentanyl and Cocaine Traffickers in Western New York

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the guilty pleas and sentencing of 14 defendants for their roles in a drug trafficking ring that flooded communities in Western New York with fentanyl pills and cocaine. The individuals were convicted of selling more than $250,000 worth of cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone throughout Erie and Niagara counties. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) ultimately led to the seizure of approximately 1,440 counterfeit prescription “M-30” fentanyl pills and nearly one kilogram of cocaine worth a combined $130,000, a loaded .45 caliber pistol, and more than $4,000 in cash. As a result of their pleas, the central figures of the trafficking operation will be sentenced to state prison sentences. 

“Stopping drug trafficking operations that sell deadly narcotics is critical to keeping New Yorkers safe,” said Attorney General James. “Not only did these traffickers distribute deadly amounts of fentanyl, they put New Yorkers in even more danger by disguising their drugs as prescription pills. I want to thank our partners in law enforcement for helping to secure these convictions. My office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect New Yorkers’ safety and bring those fueling the opioid addiction crisis to justice.” 

“This investigation and the convictions against these 14 individuals are evidence of the commitment we share with our law enforcement partners in keeping dangerous drugs off our streets,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “These individuals had no regard for the impact of their actions on users or the rest of the community. I thank our members, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their hard work in uncovering this illicit operation.”

“The guilty pleas from members of this Drug Trafficking ring are a result of the collaborative effort DEA New York has with New York’s Office of the Attorney General, New York State Police, and our law enforcement partners effectively targeting those organizations and individuals poisoning our communities,” said DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “Removing these traffickers and their illicit narcotics saves lives and prevents deaths.”

The 18-month investigation was conducted in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Buffalo District Office’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Violent Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (VGNET). 

Through physical and court-authorized wiretapping of cellular telephones, the investigation revealed that the central figure in the trafficking network based in Buffalo, Charles Sims, purchased large quantities of cocaine from Musa Ramadan, Tevin Jeter, Eric Richmond, and others. Sims then supplied large quantities of cocaine for resale to Michael McPhee, Devon Jones, Gregory Miller, and others. Miller, who is now deceased, obtained large quantities of counterfeit prescription “M-30” fentanyl pills from Michael Clark Jr., who then supplied the pills for resale to Anthony Fugate and others. Tajine Benning, a customer of Sims, was the subject of a traffic stop that led to the recovery of a loaded .45 caliber pistol.

During the investigation, wiretaps also captured numerous conversations between Sims, Ramadan, Richmond, and McPhee, who frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their illicit activities, such as referring to cocaine as “big eight,” “girl,” or “chicken,” and narcotics proceeds as “ticket,” “bread,” or “bones.” 

14 defendants pled guilty and were sentenced in Erie County Court by the Honorable James F. Bargnesi. During their guilty pleas, the defendants admitted to their roles as purchasers and distributors of large amounts of counterfeit prescription “M-30” fentanyl pills and cocaine. 

Eric Richmond, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in January 2024 to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. During his plea, he admitted to possessing cocaine with the intent to sell it. He was sentenced this week to three years in prison followed by two years of post-release supervision.

Charles Sims, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in January 2024 to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree (a class A-II felony). He was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. During his guilty plea, Sims admitted to possessing more than four ounces of cocaine. 

Musa Ramadan, of Buffalo, New York, recently pled guilty in December 2023 to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree (a class A-II felony). During his plea, Ramadan admitted to selling cocaine. He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. 

Tevin Jeter, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in July 2023 to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. During the plea he admitted to selling cocaine. He was sentenced to four years in prison followed by two years of post-release supervision. 

Michael McPhee, of Lockport, New York, pled guilty in July 2023 to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He admitted to attempting to possess cocaine with intent to sell it and was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision.

Devon Jones, a/k/a “Dutch” and Jasper Lewis, both of Buffalo, New York, both pled guilty in June 2023 and July 2023 respectively to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, and both admitted to possessing cocaine. Lewis was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison followed by two years of post-release supervision, and Jones was sentenced to the same.

Ronald Washington, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in March 2023 to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. As part of the plea, he admitted to attempting to possess cocaine with the intent to sell it. Washington was sentenced to five years of probation. 

Negmarie Marcano, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in February 2023 to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree. During the plea she admitted to possessing cocaine and was sentenced to five years of probation. 

Michael Clark Jr., of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in October 2023 to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree (a class A-II felony). As part of his plea, he admitted to selling large volumes of counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.

Anthony Fugate, of Buffalo, New York, pled guilty in April 2023 to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. As part of the plea, he admitted to selling counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills. He was sentenced to five years of probation.

Melanie Duchnik and Ronnie Cason, both of Buffalo, New York, separately pled guilty in March 2023 to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree and admitted to possessing quantities of counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills. Both were sentenced to five years of probation.

Tajine Benning, of Niagara Falls, New York, pled guilty in January 2024 to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. As part of his plea, Benning admitted to attempting to possess a loaded .45 caliber pistol. He was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.

Attorney General James would like to thank the Buffalo Police Department, Amherst Police Department, Lockport Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the New York State Army National Guard Counter Drug Task Force for their invaluable assistance in the investigation.

The investigation was directed by DEA Special Agent Gregory Yensan, under the direction of GS Jason Staab-Peters; OCTF Supervising Detective Ever S. Quiñones, under the supervision of OCTF Upstate Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte and Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss. The OAG’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The cases are being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Nathanael C. Kapperman and OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Wendy R. Whiting, under the supervision of OCTF Upstate Deputy Chief Maria Moran. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF, which is part of the Division of Criminal Justice. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Jose Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.