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Heroin Smuggling Ring Busted at Attica Correctional Facility
BUFFALO, N.Y.—A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Elizabeth Camue Martinez, 33, of Buffalo, N.Y., and her husband, Andres Martinez, 28, an inmate at the Attica Correctional Facility, with possession with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin and marijuana.
Jerome J. Tallington, 25, of Buffalo, N.Y., has also been indicted and charged with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin. Davon Banks, 35, of Buffalo, N.Y., is charged in a complaint with possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing Fentanyl and prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
According to state documents filed in Wyoming County, on December 5, 2013, Elizabeth Camue Martinez smuggled heroin into the Attica Correctional Facility to give to her husband, Andres Martinez, an inmate at the facility. On December 8, 2013, defendant Jerome Tallington sold approximately three grams of heroin to a New York State Police investigator.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. stated, "This past June, we warned of the potentially lethal consequences of heroin and fentanyl. As demonstrated by the recent fatalities in Western New York and elsewhere, that message went unheeded.
According to the complaint charging Davon Banks, on January 14, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence at 359 Sherman Street in Buffalo. Officers seized approximately 163 plastic bags containing a powdery substance, a 12 gauge shotgun, and a digital scale. Subsequent analysis on the powdery substance determined that it contained Fentanyl.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Office, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto, the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), and the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office.
Heroin overdose rates have increased 45% nationwide, and the spread of heroin abuse has even reached a place where drug dealers are incarcerated, jail. The DEA, the Western District of New York, and the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office have investigated these deaths, which resulted in the arrests of Andres Martinez, Elizabeth Camue-Martinez, and Jerome Tallington for their role in this conspiracy.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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