Buffalo Man Sentenced on Gun and Drug Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul announced today that Antwan Castleberry, 32, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to 101 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Alsup, who handled the case, stated that on April 5, 2013, a Buffalo Police Officer observed the defendant discard what was later determined to be Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol near the corner of Broadway and Woltz Avenues in Buffalo. A brief foot chase began and Castleberry was apprehended at a residence on Beck Street a short time later. At the time of his arrest, the defendant possessed both crack cocaine and marijuana pre-packaged for sale to drug customers.  The defendant was also wearing a ballistic vest at the time of his arrest.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge James S. Higgins.