United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Eugene James, 34, of Rome, New York was sentenced today to serve 188 months incarceration in connection with his guilty plea to federal drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt of the New York Division. The Court further ordered James to serve a term of supervised release of eight years following his release from prison, and to forfeit a money judgment of $90,000.00.

As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that, for more than a year from 2016 into 2017, he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine in Oneida County.  The defendant further admitted that he, and others working at his direction, made multiple trips to drug suppliers in New York City and Long Island, New York; and that on other occasions, the defendant’s suppliers traveled to the Utica, New York area to deliver drugs to James. In total, the defendant trafficked multiple kilograms of cocaine, as well as additional quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.

This case was investigated by the DEA, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Nassau County Police Department, the City of Rome Police Department, and the Utica Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Commandeur.