Lakuan Rhyne, Heroin-Fentanyl Trafficking, New York 2024

Lakuan Rhyne, a 24-year-old Peekskill man, has admitted to conspiring to distribute a kilogram of heroin in Westchester County. Rhyne, also known as ‘Rico,’ pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court to one count of conspiring to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rhyne was a leader of a drug trafficking ring centered in Westchester County. Between early 2014 and the fall of 2014, Rhyne and his associates conspired to distribute significant quantities of heroin, as well as crack cocaine and powder cocaine, in and around Westchester County.

The investigation revealed that at least some of the heroin distributed by Rhyne was laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is significantly stronger than both ordinary heroin and morphine. On the evening of January 26, 2014, Rhyne supplied a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl to an associate for the purpose of selling that mixture to a customer.

Tragically, that customer was Thomas Coogan, a 23-year-old from Buchanan, New York, who used the fentanyl-laced heroin supplied by Rhyne and died as a result. Rhyne’s guilty plea serves as a reminder of the destruction that follows the heroin and fentanyl trade.

Rhyne faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara praised the outstanding work of the FBI, the Westchester County Northern Narcotics Initiative, and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force for their role in the investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Turner and Michael Gerber leading the case.

The case is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the heroin and fentanyl trade on our communities. As U.S. Attorney Bharara stated, ‘Overdose deaths from heroin and fentanyl have become tragically too frequent in many of our communities.’

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