Gang Member Arrested On Gun And Drug Charges
BUFFALO, N.Y. - James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA), New York Division and U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced that Gregory Ramos, aka Prospect, 24, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested on June 24, 2016 and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
DEA Special Agent in Charge James Hunt stated, “Immediate response by the Niagara Falls Police and Erie County Sheriff’s Department identified and located an armed and violent drug trafficker and took him off the streets. The DEA Buffalo Resident Office and the Buffalo Police Department then collaborated resources to further the investigation which has culminated in Ramos’ arrest on federal charges.”
According to the complaint, Ramos is a member of the FEB Gang which has a history of drug trafficking, firearms possession and violent crime. On May 21, 2016, Buffalo Police received a complaint involving a domestic dispute on Fargo Avenue between a woman and the defendant. An investigation determined that Ramos assaulted the woman, causing abrasions and bruising, and threatened her life. The defendant took a handgun and fled before officers arrived.
On May 23, 2016, Niagara Falls Police Officers spotted Ramos’ car on pine Avenue and attempted to stop the vehicle. As officers approached, the defendant sped away. A chase ensued during which Ramos threw something from his car window. The object, which turned out to be cocaine, struck the windshield of the officers’ car on Hyde Park Avenue.
Further investigation revealed that during that chase, Ramos threw a black bag containing what appeared to be a handgun out the window. The bag struck and shattered the rear window of another driver’s vehicle.
The chase proceeded onto Grand Island, where a toll collector at the Grand Island Bridge reported a vehicle traveling approximately 100 miles per hour was being pursued by four Niagara Falls Police vehicles. After Ramos lost control of his vehicle on Stony Point Road on Grand Island, the defendant fled into a wooded area. A few minutes later, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department received a call from an individual identifying themselves as Gregory Ramos. The caller claimed his vehicle had been stolen in Niagara Falls by an unknown black male. The defendant was located a short time later and taken into custody. At the time, Ramos was in possession of $3,640 in cash.
The following day, May 24, 2016, a toll collector reported finding a small zip lock bag on the ground behind a toll booth. The bag was found in the same lane the defendant traveled through the night before. Subsequent analysis determined the bag contained cocaine.
The complaint is the result of an investigation and information gathered during the following weeks by the DEA Buffalo Resident Office, the Buffalo Police Department, the Niagara Falls Police Department, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
