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Fentanyl Traffickers Busted in Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a major blow to the fentanyl trade, two Mexican women were arrested and charged with possession of suspected fentanyl in Buffalo.
Maria Guadalupe Martinez-Plascencia, 47, and Claudia Anel Cuevas-Sandoval, 37, both of Guadalajara, Mexico, were taken into custody after a joint investigation by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The investigation began in early June 2018, after the arrest of an individual in Laredo, Texas, who was found with a backpack and a laptop bag containing heroin. Customs and Border Protection reports revealed Martinez’s association with the individual, prompting a search warrant for her and Cuevas at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel on June 11, 2018.
During the search, officers found two backpacks and two laptop bags containing 10 packages of suspected fentanyl or fentanyl analogue, sewn into the baggage. The defendants were arrested and are being held pending a detention hearing on June 18, 2018, at 1:00 p.m.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani is handling the case.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police, under the direction of Chief George Gast, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
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.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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