Major Western New York Drug Ring Busted; 17 Face Charges
Investigators say cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico moved through Western New York, including packages intercepted in Onondaga County.
A year-long investigation led authorities from Buffalo to Onondaga County and Puerto Rico, resulting in a sweeping 117-count indictment.
A Western New York drug ring accused of distributing cocaine, fentanyl and heroin across several New York counties and Puerto Rico has been dismantled following a year-long investigation, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.
Seventeen people were charged with 117 crimes, while investigators recovered more than 10 kilograms — roughly 22 pounds — of cocaine valued at about $500,000, along with approximately 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin worth an estimated $12,500, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The alleged trafficking operation stretched across Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Onondaga counties and had connections to Puerto Rico. Prosecutors say cocaine was mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses in Western New York before being distributed to regional resellers.
Cocaine Allegedly Shipped From Puerto Rico
The investigation began in September 2024 with a focus on narcotics trafficking on Buffalo’s lower west side.
According to investigators, Oscar Romero, Victor Quinones, Hector Oquendo and Raymond Pizarro Rivera allegedly supplied cocaine to resellers across Western New York.
Authorities said sources in Puerto Rico mailed narcotics inside specially prepared boxes containing two-kilogram bricks of cocaine. Those packages were sent to several addresses in the region.
Once received, prosecutors allege, defendants processed the cocaine and distributed it to other sellers and users.
Investigators said meetings to exchange drugs were arranged through calls and text messages and took place at locations including a Cheektowaga barbershop and restaurants in Buffalo.
Authorities also said alleged traffickers used coded terms in their communications, including “soft” to refer to powder cocaine and “F” for fentanyl.
Onondaga County Played Role in Major Seizure
The case reached into Central New York through packages intercepted in Onondaga County.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspectors seized three packages mailed from Puerto Rico containing a combined six kilograms of cocaine in Onondaga County.
Another two kilograms were seized during a traffic stop in Erie County.
Investigators later recovered an additional two kilograms of cocaine during a separate Erie County traffic stop, bringing the total cocaine seizure to more than 10 kilograms.
Authorities also confiscated approximately 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin during the investigation.
For Central New York readers, the Onondaga County seizure illustrates how interstate and international drug trafficking networks can use postal and transportation systems far beyond the communities where drugs are eventually sold.
17 Defendants Charged
The 117-count indictment was unsealed in Erie County Court.
Those charged are:
- Erik Arias, 33, Buffalo
- Richard Calderon Cruz, also known as Richard Calderon and Richard Cruz, 41, Cheektowaga
- Jesus Oliveras Feliciano, 37, Buffalo
- Luis Galarza Jr., 40, Buffalo
- Shirley Lopez, 49, Buffalo
- Edwin Maldonado, 59, Lackawanna
- A. Cesari McDougall, 54, Buffalo
- Arami Morales, 30, Rochester
- Wilfredo Morales, 64, Buffalo
- Angel Oquendo, 48, Puerto Rico
- Hector Oquendo, 56, Buffalo
- Edward Parmer, 48, Niagara Falls
- Luis Pumarejo, 44, Buffalo
- Victor Quinones, 50, Buffalo
- Raymond Pizarro Rivera, 28, whose last known address was in Buffalo
- Oscar Romero, 46, Buffalo
- Justino Santos, 40, Buffalo
The defendants face various counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance, ranging from Class A through Class D felonies, as well as second-degree conspiracy charges.
Quinones and Galarza were also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, an offense that can carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
All charges remain allegations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Wiretaps and Surveillance Built the Case
Authorities described the investigation as an extensive operation involving several agencies.
Investigators used:
- Covert surveillance
- Hundreds of hours of court-authorized wiretaps
- More than two dozen targeted phones
- Postal package interceptions
- Traffic stops
- Coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies
The Office of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force worked with New York State Police, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Erie County Crime Analysis Center and the U.S. Marshals Service.
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said the investigation required extensive cooperation among agencies.
“These rings are often sophisticated,” James said, adding that investigators must work to identify, disrupt and dismantle trafficking organizations.
Attorney General Letitia James said her office would continue targeting organizations accused of bringing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into New York communities.
What Is New York’s SURGE Initiative?
The SURGE Initiative is a state law-enforcement effort focused on disrupting drug trafficking networks operating in suburban and Upstate New York.
SURGE stands for Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic.
The Attorney General’s Office said the program has resulted in action against 1,052 alleged traffickers since its launch in 2017.
The current case is one of several large narcotics investigations conducted by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force.
In 2025 alone, the Attorney General’s Office reported that its task force helped dismantle five criminal organizations operating across 16 New York counties. Those investigations resulted in indictments against 40 people and convictions involving more than 83 defendants. Authorities reported seizures that year including 32 kilograms of cocaine, 12 kilograms of fentanyl and 117 firearms.
Puerto Rico-to-New York Trafficking Is Not Unprecedented
The alleged use of Puerto Rico as a cocaine supply route also has precedent.
In 2021, the Attorney General and Drug Enforcement Administration announced charges against 12 people accused of moving cocaine from Puerto Rico into Buffalo and other Western New York communities.
That earlier investigation resulted in the seizure of about 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and more than $123,000 in cash.
The current allegations do not establish that the two organizations were connected. They do, however, demonstrate the recurring challenge facing authorities as narcotics networks move drugs across jurisdictions using highways, commercial shipping and the mail.
Why the Case Matters Beyond Buffalo
Although much of the alleged activity centered on Buffalo and Western New York, the investigation crossed several county and state boundaries.
The interception of six kilograms of cocaine in Onondaga County makes the case particularly relevant to Central New York.
It also demonstrates why large trafficking investigations increasingly depend on cooperation among local police, state investigators, federal agencies and postal inspectors.
For communities facing addiction and overdose deaths, removing a large supply of cocaine or fentanyl can reduce immediate availability. But law-enforcement operations address only one part of the drug crisis.
Treatment, prevention, mental-health services, recovery programs and education remain important parts of reducing long-term drug-related harm.
What Happens Next
The defendants will now face the charges through the state court system.
Prosecutors will be required to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Defense attorneys will have opportunities to challenge the government’s evidence, including surveillance, intercepted communications and evidence gathered during searches and traffic stops.
The indictment itself does not establish guilt.
The investigation nevertheless represents a significant seizure: more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 250 grams of fentanyl and heroin, 17 defendants and 117 criminal charges spanning a network authorities say reached from Puerto Rico to several regions of New York.
For Central New Yorkers, the seizure of cocaine in Onondaga County is also a reminder that large drug networks rarely respect county boundaries.
Residents concerned about illegal drug activity should contact local law enforcement rather than confronting suspected traffickers themselves.
Sources
- New York State Office of the Attorney General, Aug. 20, 2026.
- New York Attorney General, 2025 Year in Review.
- New York Attorney General and DEA, Western New York cocaine trafficking investigation, Sept. 9, 2021.
