John Nelson, Lawrence Russell Indicted in Buffalo Coke Ring

John Nelson, 41, and Lawrence Russell, 39, both of Buffalo, NY, are locked up and facing a federal drug empire collapse after a 10-count indictment for cocaine and crack cocaine distribution. The charges, returned by a federal grand jury, accuse the pair of running a sustained trafficking operation from 2013 to 2015, using a West Side house on 14th Street as a hub for sales and storage.

Each count carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine. The indictment details a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, actual distribution, and maintaining drug-involved premises—grave charges in a city still battling the opioid and crack epidemics.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, the investigation revealed repeated sales of cocaine and crack over a two-year span. The house on 14th Street wasn’t just a stash spot—it was an active dealing location where transactions were conducted under the radar until federal agents moved in.

Nelson was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and remains in custody pending a detention hearing on February 24, 2017. Russell, already behind bars on a state parole violation, will face federal arraignment on the same day, marking a one-two punch from federal prosecutors.

The case was cracked open by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen. The task force has prioritized dismantling entrenched street-level networks feeding addiction and violence in urban centers like Buffalo.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation. John Nelson and Lawrence Russell are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.