Armed drug trafficker sentenced to prison
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. and James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division, announced that Lorenzo Wade, 25, of Rochester, who previously pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to the felony charges of possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, was sentenced to serve a seven year prison term in the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons. He also was sentenced to four years of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who handled the case, stated that Wade, was arrested after law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 155 McArdle Street in Rochester, on July 6, 2018. Officers arrested Wade inside the residence. While searching, officers found over 15 grams of a substance containing heroin, fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue, some of which was packaged for distribution. Officers also found a non-functioning Tec-9 semiautomatic pistol, which was loaded with 37 rounds of ammunition.
After arrest, Wade told officers he bought the handgun for $800. He said he knew the firearm did not function because he had tried it. He said he used the handgun as a prop in the music videos he made. Wade also admitted to selling drugs.
The matter was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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