Seventeen people face charges in an alleged drug operation that, according to an indictment revealed by the New York State Attorney General, spans from Puerto Rico to Western New York.
Combined, the suspects face 117 counts in a drug investigation which began in September 2024 and involved numerous agencies at the local, state, and federal level. Participants included the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit in Buffalo, and the Erie County Crime Analysis Center.
The indictment was unsealed Thursday in Erie County Court. The 117 counts include Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy in the Second Degree. All of the counts are felonies. The suspects are identified as:
· Erik Arias, 33, of Buffalo;
· Richard Calderon Cruz AKA Richard Calderon or Richard Cruz, 41, of Cheektowaga;
· Jesus Oliveras Feliciano AKA Jesus Oliveras Felician, 37, of Buffalo;
· Luis Galarza, Jr., 40, of Buffalo;
· Shirley Lopez, 49, of Buffalo;
· Edwin Maldonado, 59, of Lackawanna;
· A. Cesari McDougall, 54, of Buffalo;
· Arami Morales, 30, of Rochester;
· Wilfredo Morales, 64, of Buffalo;
· Angel Oquendo AKA Angel Alejandro Oquendo or Angel Alejandrooquendo, 48, of Puerto Rico;
· Hector Oquendo AKA Hector Alejandro Oquendo or Hector Alejandrooquendo, 56, of Buffalo;
· Edward Parmer, 48, of Niagara Falls, NY;
· Luis Pumarejo, 44, of Buffalo;
· Victor Quinones, 50, of Buffalo;
· Raymond Pizarro Rivera, 28, last known address is in Buffalo;
· Oscar Romero, 46, of Buffalo;
· Justino Santos, 40, of Buffalo, NY.
Two of the suspects, Victor Quinones and Luis Galarza, Jr., are charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
According to investigators, the drugs were shipped from Puerto Rico to Western New York, where some of the suspects would then prepare the drugs for resale in Erie, Niagara, Monroe, and Onondaga Counties.
“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 Letitia James in a prepared statement. “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.”
