Loaded gun. Crack cocaine. High-speed flight. Terry Wilson, 39, of Rochester, NY, didn’t just skirt the edge of the law—he plowed through it. Now he’s facing up to 20 years behind bars after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The bust went down on June 26, 2017, when Buffalo cops pulled Wilson over on Bailey Avenue for speeding. Officers recognized the 39-year-old from prior run-ins and knew he had no valid license. A routine pat-down turned up 3.71 grams of crack cocaine in his pockets. Wilson admitted he wasn’t holding it for personal use—he intended to sell it.
Then came the real danger. After removing the passenger from the car, police found a loaded Jimenez Arms 9 mm semi-automatic pistol—serial number 375367—tucked inside the woman’s purse. Eleven live rounds chambered and ready. Wilson admitted the gun was his and that he’d stashed it there to maintain control without getting caught red-handed.
This isn’t Wilson’s first brush with felony firetime. He admitted prior convictions that sealed his fate under federal law: a 2012 conviction for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree and, worse, a 2005 conviction for Felon in Possession of a Firearm—both crimes punishable by more than a year in prison. That history turned a state-level offense into a federal slammer.
The case was built by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, led by Resident Agent in Charge Steve Dickey, with support from the Buffalo Police Department under Acting Commissioner Byron Lockwood. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins is prosecuting, laying out a case that cut through the usual defenses with hard evidence and admissions straight from Wilson’s mouth.
Sentencing is set for May 23, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. With a $1,000,000 fine on the table and decades in prison within reach, Wilson’s next stop isn’t another traffic stop—it’s the federal pen.
RELATED: Deported Dealer Back in NH, Faces Decades for Meth Flood
RELATED: Meth & Re-Entry: Dominican Dealer Pleads
Related Federal Cases
- Brooklyn Gun Kingpin Khyle Williams Faces 176 Charges · Georgia
- NY AG Slams Landsman over Rochester Tenant Abuse · New York
- James Fights to Uphold Gun Shipping Ban Amidst DOJ Retreat · Delaware
- Florida Gun Dealer Lawrence Destefano Indicted in Ghost Gun Ring · New York
- Queens Ghost Gun Kingpin Sentenced to Over Nine Years · Indiana
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News