Felix Calderon-Valcarel, Drug Trafficking, New York 2023

BUFFALO, N.Y. - In a major blow to the local crime scene, a Buffalo man has been sentenced to serve 87 months in prison for his involvement in a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation.

Felix Calderon-Valcarel, a 34-year-old resident of Buffalo, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Between May 2018 and September 2018, law enforcement officers conducted a series of controlled buys and payments from Calderon-Valcarcel, gathering evidence of his involvement in the operation.

On March 7, 2019, the Lackawanna Police Department executed a search warrant at Calderon-Valcarcel's residence and vehicle, seizing $10,000 in cash, five kilograms of cocaine, and a 9mm firearm.

The investigation, which was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, uncovered a massive cocaine trafficking operation that spanned from Puerto Rico to various locations in the Western District of New York, Florida, Alaska, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Calderon-Valcarcel's sentencing is the result of a joint effort by federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orchard Park Police Department, the Lackawanna Police Department, and the Hamburg Police Department.

The investigation identified $55,700 in U.S. currency and/or money orders shipped in parcels from Calderon-Valcarcel or co-conspirators to Puerto Rico as payment to the source of supply for the cocaine. Additionally, law enforcement officers seized approximately 8.5 kilograms of cocaine and $52,000 in U.S. currency from postal parcels shipped from Puerto Rico during the investigation.

Calderon-Valcarcel's prison sentence is a significant blow to the local crime scene, and serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking and related crimes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/buffalo-man-sentenced-drug-and-gun-charges-8