Buffalo Narcotics Kingpin Convicted in Multi-Million Dollar Ring

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The grim tally of federal convictions in the gritty world of drug trafficking reads like a scene from a crime drama: Adrian Goudelock, better known as AD, Ace, or Ace Boogs, has been found guilty after a five-week trial. The 39-year-old Buffalo resident was convicted of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distributing five kilograms or more of cocaine, along with money laundering conspiracy. The charges could land him behind bars for life, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.

But Goudelock wasn’t acting alone; his co-defendants Shamar Davis, alias Fatboy, and Jai Hunter were also convicted in the same operation, facing up to life sentences as well. The trio’s criminal enterprise was so extensive that it stretched from Mexico all the way to Buffalo.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York has been a relentless force against this kind of organized crime. Their investigation into Goudelock and his network began in October 2017 when HSI Special Agents intercepted a massive shipment of cocaine en route from El Paso, Texas to Buffalo. This seizure was just the beginning. By 2018, over 50 kilograms of cocaine had been funneled into Buffalo alone.

The investigation, which involved intercepted wire and electronic communications, revealed that Goudelock was at the heart of a vast distribution network. Nine other co-defendants were identified, charged, and convicted as part of this case. The OCDETF (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces) operation has also resulted in the arrest of 21 additional defendants across two districts, with over $2 million seized.

U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler, Jeremiah E. Lenihan, and Seth T. Molisani were instrumental in prosecuting this case. The investigation was a collaborative effort led by Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, New York State Police, Erie County Sheriff’s Department, Customs and Border Protection, and even the New York National Guard.

April 7, 2022, will be a day of reckoning for Goudelock as he appears before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., along with Davis and Hunter, who are both set to face sentencing on April 5th and 6th respectively.

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