United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW YORK – Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the takedown of a major drug trafficking ring that distributed large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin across Western New York and Puerto Rico. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) recovered more than 10 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $500,000 and about 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin worth an estimated $12,500. The investigation found that the narcotics were allegedly shipped from Puerto Rico to Western New York, where defendants distributed the drugs to resellers who sold them across the region. 17 individuals were charged with 117 crimes for their roles in the drug trafficking operation, which was active in Erie, Monroe, Niagara, and Onondaga Counties, as well as Puerto Rico.

"This operation highlights the effectiveness of law enforcement partnerships and our collective resolve to disrupt drug trafficking organizations operating throughout New York State,” said DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam. “These traffickers exploited the U.S. mail system to move kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico into Western New York, where the drugs were then processed and repackaged for distribution using coded messages. These individuals then used ordinary locations, including restaurants and a barbershop, to mask their drug activities. While these drug traffickers believed they were sophisticated in their operations, the DEA, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, remains one step ahead, working to identify and dismantle these networks before their dangerous drugs reach our communities and cause further harm.”

“My office continues to dismantle dangerous drug trafficking rings across our state, taking deadly amounts of fentanyl and other drugs off our streets,” said Attorney General James. “Today’s takedown should remind all New Yorkers that we will stop at nothing to protect our communities from life-threatening drugs. I thank my partners in law enforcement for their continued work to keep New Yorkers safe.”

The OAG’s investigation began in September 2024 and originally focused on narcotics trafficking on the lower west side of Buffalo. The investigation revealed that Oscar Romero, Victor Quinones, Hector Oquendo, and Raymond Pizarro Rivera were supplying cocaine to resellers in Western New York. Sources from Puerto Rico allegedly mailed the defendants the narcotics in custom boxes that each contained two-kilogram bricks and were shipped to various addresses in the region. The defendants would then process the narcotics for resale and sell to resellers and users across Western New York. Resellers were contacted via audio and text messages to coordinate meeting locations, which included a barbershop in Cheektowaga and local restaurants in Buffalo. In messages with resellers, the defendants used codewords to describe the drugs including, “soft” for powder cocaine and “F” to describe fentanyl.

11 individuals from across Western New York were charged for their roles as resellers in the drug trafficking operation. These defendants would pick up the shipments from the agreed pick-up locations and prepare the narcotics for resale. Preparations often included repacking a kilogram brick of cocaine into smaller packages of various weights. Those charged for their roles as resellers include Erik Arias, Richard Calderon, Jesus Oliveras Feliciano, Shirley Lopez, Edwin Maldonado, J.A. Cesari McDougall, Arami Morales, Wilfredo Morales, Edward Parmer, Luis Pumarejo, and Justino Santos.

Approximately eight kilograms of cocaine were seized from packages mailed to various locations in Western New York. Three packages mailed from Puerto Rico that contained six kilograms of cocaine were seized by the United States Postal Inspectors in Onondaga County, and two kilograms were seized at a traffic stop in Erie County. In addition to those eight kilograms, two additional kilograms of cocaine were seized from a second traffic stop in Erie County, and approximately 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin were seized as part of the investigation.

Kilos of cocaine seized

The investigation was led by OCTF in partnership with the New York State Police (NYSP), as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including NYSP Troop A Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team (VGNET), NYSP Special Investigations Unit Buffalo (SIU), the United States Postal Inspectors (USPI), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Erie County Crime Analysis Center (ECAC), and the U.S. Marshals. The year-long investigation included covert surveillance and hundreds of hours of wiretaps of more than two dozen target phones, aimed at rooting out fentanyl and cocaine dealers operating in Western New York and Puerto Rico.

“Due to crucial interagency coordination, we have ended a highly organized international drug trafficking operation and have removed numerous criminals from our streets,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “These rings are often sophisticated, and it takes tenacious investigators, and intuitive and meticulous police work to identify, investigate, and not only disrupt them – but dismantle them. We will continue to work with the Attorney General’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to intercept those who circumvent the law at the expense of our communities.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our law enforcement partners will continue to dedicate the resources necessary to combat illicit drugs in the mail,” said Justin Page, Acting Inspector-in-Charge for the Boston Division. “The arrest of these individuals demonstrates our commitment to keeping these and other highly addictive drugs from destroying lives.”

The 117-count indictment unsealed today in Erie County Court charges the defendants with crimes for their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, C, D felonies) as well as Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a class B felony). The following individuals were charged in today’s indictment:

• Erik Arias, 33, of Buffalo, NY;
• Richard Calderon Cruz AKA Richard Calderon, AKA Richard Cruz, 41, of Cheektowaga, NY;
• Jesus Oliveras Feliciano AKA Jesus Oliveras Felician, 37, of Buffalo, NY; 
• Luis Galarza, Jr., 40, of Buffalo, NY;
• Shirley Lopez, 49, of Buffalo, NY;
• Edwin Maldonado, 59, of Lackawanna, NY;
• A. Cesari McDougall, 54, of Buffalo, NY;
• Arami Morales, 30, of Rochester, NY;
• Wilfredo Morales, 64, of Buffalo, NY;
• Angel Oquendo AKA Angel Alejandro Oquendo AKA Angel Alejandrooquendo, 48, of Puerto Rico;
• Hector Oquendo AKA Hector Alejandro Oquendo AKA Hector Alejandrooquendo, 56, of Buffalo, NY;
• Edward Parmer, 48, of Niagara Falls, NY;
• Luis Pumarejo, 44, of Buffalo, NY;
• Victor Quinones, 50, of Buffalo, NY;
• Raymond Pizarro Rivera, 28, last known address is in Buffalo, NY;
• Oscar Romero, 46, of Buffalo, NY; and
• Justino Santos, 40, of Buffalo, NY.

Victor Quinones and Luis Galarza, Jr.’s distribution operation resulted in, among other charges, the charge of Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. 

Today’s takedown is the latest in the Attorney General’s SURGE Initiative (Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic) to root out violent drug trafficking. Since launching in 2017, SURGE has taken 1,052 alleged traffickers off the streets.

The investigation was directed by Troop A VGNET and SIU Buffalo, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, OCTF Detective Thomas Fournier, and former OCTF Detective Paul Randall, under the supervision of OCTF Supervising Detective Ever Quinones with the assistance of the U.S. Army National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, all under the supervision of former OCTF Assistant Chief John Monte, Assistant Chief Ismael Hernandez, and Deputy Chief Andrew Boss. Special assistance was provided by OAG’s Special Operations Unit, which is a part of the Investigations Bureau. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.  

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Wendy Whiting, with the assistance of Administrative Assistant Vera Marek and Legal Support Analyst Jason Nau, under the supervision of OCTF Upstate Deputy Bureau Chief Maria Moran. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. Both OCTF and the Investigations Bureau are part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.