Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges in 31-Gang Case

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Marcus Chambers, 32, of Buffalo, N.Y. pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking before District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $10,000,000, or both.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. McCabe, who is handling the case, Chambers distributed cocaine to members of the “31 Gang” in Buffalo. The defendant used a house at 115 Shumway in the City as a “work house” for the purchase, preparation and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. On February 17, 2009, Chambers traveled from Buffalo to Mentor, Ohio to obtain cocaine from a new source-of-supply but was stopped by local police, who recovered $220,000 from the defendant’s vehicle. Chambers planned to use the money to purchase multiple kilograms of cocaine in Ohio. The defendant was then charged in federal court in Buffalo on February 26, 2009, after which federal agents seized an additional $88,000 in cocaine proceeds from Chambers.

Chambers was one of 29 defendants arrested in February, 2009. To date, 26 of the 29 defendants have been convicted.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.