Fred A. Santiago, Cocaine Charges, New York 2017

Cocaine Charges Rock Dunkirk, NY

BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a shocking turn of events, two Dunkirk men have been indicted on federal cocaine charges. Fred A. Santiago, 29, and Michael Pacheco, 27, have been accused of engaging in a cocaine trafficking ring that spans the nation. The charges, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine, were announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.

According to the indictment, on May 2, 2017, a state search warrant was executed at Santiago’s residence, where law enforcement officers seized scales, a heat sealer, heat sealing bags, a drug press, and over 600 grams of suspected cocaine. On the same day, members of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force stopped Pacheco’s vehicle and seized an amount of cocaine secreted away inside a potato chip bag.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash stated that the indictment alleges the defendants conspired to distribute and distributed five or more kilograms of cocaine, as well as possessed and distributed cocaine. The defendants were arraigned today before the U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and are being held pending detention hearings on June 2, 2017, at 11:45 a.m.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb, and the Dunkirk Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Ortolano.

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.

The investigation, which spanned months, uncovered a sophisticated network of cocaine traffickers operating in the region. The indictment marks a significant milestone in the fight against cocaine trafficking in Western New York.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who is handling the case.

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