Twelve Arrested in Buffalo Narcotics Roundup

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that 10 people have been charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine.

Under arrest are DeWayne Gray, Jr., 27; Justin P. Cotton, 21; John P. Evans, 28; Shirley A. Covington, 27; Philip T. Brown, 19; John K. Hayward, 28; Joseph A. Martin, 24; Dijaon M. Bland, 22; Demario Devon Nance, 29; and Alexis L. Mills, 29, all of Buffalo. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Also arrested are Dayshawn Brazier, 20; Erika Gray, 30; and Kiara MacNamee, 20, all of Buffalo.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys George C. Burgasser and Charles B. Wydysh, who are handling the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, the defendants sold crack cocaine and cocaine throughout the Buffalo area between July 2011 and January 2012. Some of those arrested are alleged to be members of the LRGP Gang.

“Today’s law enforcement operation is just the latest example of the commitment of this office to target gangs or those who would engage in organized criminal activity in our region,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Let this and the successful prosecution of other such cases serve as yet another indication of our commitment to identify and remove from our streets any who would seek to harm the citizens of this community.”

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota. The task force includes members of the Buffalo Police Department, Amherst Police, Cheektowaga Police, Hamburg Police, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, the Erie County Probation Department, NYS Police, NYS Parole, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigation. Additional assistance was provided by Tonawanda Police, Lewiston Police, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service and United States Probation. U.S. Attorney Hochul also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys JP Kennedy and Joseph Guerra for their work on the case.

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.