Buffalo man sentenced for conspiring to sell fentanyl
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., and DEA New York Division Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan announced today that Jose Alvarez, 26, of Buffalo, N.Y., who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, butyryl fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan T. Cullinane, who handled the case, stated that on July 27, 2017, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations special agents executed a search warrant on Alvarez’s vehicle. During the search, agents recovered 20 bags of butyryl fentanyl, a Schedule I controlled substance. The investigation determined that the defendant, along with his co-defendants, were staying at a hotel and casino located in Salamanca. Subsequently, law enforcement executed a search warrant in their hotel room, where agents recovered another 196 bags of butyryl fentanyl. Alvarez also admitted selling butyryl fentanyl on three prior occasions in Salamanca in May and July of 2017.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the DEA Buffalo Resident Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the NYS State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force.
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