Daniel Molina-Rios, Heroin Trafficking, New York 2015

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Table of Contents

Heroin Trafficking Ring Dismantled in Buffalo

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging 10 people with operating a heroin trafficking ring on the West Side of Buffalo. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine. The indictment alleges that between the fall of 2013 and September 28, 2015, the defendants conspired to distribute heroin on the West Side of Buffalo.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George C. Burgasser, who is handling the case, stated that the investigation utilized court ordered wiretaps as well as undercover purchases conducted by the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET) and the Buffalo Police Department.

The 10 defendants charged today were street-level distributors or “runners” in a heroin trafficking ring operated by Daniel Molina-Rios who was arrested in June 2015 along with Orlando Rios, Luis Montanez, and Jose Andujar. The organization acquired heroin from the New York City area for distribution in Buffalo but also had an alternate heroin source locally.

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 New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), under the direction of Major David Krause and Lieutenant Kevin Reyes, CNET West Commander, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda.

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 and indictment are a major blow to the heroin trafficking ring, which has been a source of concern for the community.

The following individuals were charged in the indictment: