Jose Ruben Gil, Narcotics Trafficking, New York 2023

California Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking in Western New York

BUFFALO, N.Y.

A California man has been sentenced to 144 months in prison for his role in operating a multi-million dollar continuing criminal enterprise that was engaged in narcotics trafficking in Western New York.

Jose Ruben Gil, 53, of Bell Gardens, California, was convicted of operating a continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Gil formed a relationship with co-defendant Darryl Williams, who agreed to distribute large amounts of drugs for Gil in Western New York and other cities. Gil began sending large shipments of cocaine via surface shipment on tractor-trailers, the proceeds of which were sent back to Gil via surface transportation.

On June 23, 2013, California Highway Patrol stopped a tractor-trailer in Barstow, California, which resulted in the seizure of approximately $420,000 in United States Currency. The cash seized from the tractor-trailer was money collected from the sale of heroin and cocaine in the Buffalo area that Darryl Williams was sending to Gil.

Following Gil’s arrest in California on January 13, 2014, his associate, Herman Aguirre, continued the cross-continent drug trafficking operation. The money obtained from drugs sales in Buffalo and other East Coast cities was brought to Bank of America locations in Western New York, and deposited it into accounts held by three California-based corporations, including Triton Foods, Kamara Investments, and Fresh Choice Produce.

A total of 17 defendants were charged and convicted in this case. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Jonathan D. Larson, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office.

The investigation found that one coconspirator alone was responsible for depositing approximately $19,000,000 in cash derived from drug trafficking into the bank accounts. Once the money was deposited, the principals of the three California corporations engaged in further financial transactions for the purpose of withdrawing or otherwise debiting the funds from the bank accounts to give to Gil and/or Herman Aguirre to pay for the heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

Contact: Barbara Burns, U.S. Attorney’s Office, (716) 843-5817, (716) 551-3051, Fax.

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