After nearly a year of investigation, the New York State Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) indicted 17 people for their roles in a major Central New York drug trafficking network. An investigation led by the task force seized more than 23 pounds of fentanyl, OCTF’s largest single seizure of fentanyl powder, plus nearly four pounds of cocaine, and more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine. The search also uncovered an additional $880,000 in cash tied to drug trafficking, as well as three illegal firearms and two vehicles used to transport and distribute the drugs.
Attorney General Letitia James said 23 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill one New Yorker every six seconds for an entire year. Put another way, this investigation took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off New York’s streets.
The attorney general’s office said the drug trafficking operation largely centered around a Syracuse man who bought the drugs from suppliers before distributing them to sellers across Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, and Tompkins Counties.
The 17 individuals who were charged in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, and C felonies), and/or Conspiracy to commit those crimes, include:
- Etiem M. Berrios, 45 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY
- Ronnie R. Evanciew, 29 years old, of Taberg, NY
- Tyler J. Forshee, 30 years old, of Cortland, NY
- Joshua B. Goyette, 47 years old, of Freeville, NY
- Jaquan T. Jones, a/k/a “Flame”, 31 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY
- Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY
- Alexander Medina, 24 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Antonio Sanchez, 37 years old, of New Rochelle, NY
- Autumn R. Schneider, 28 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Heather R. Sharpsteen, 39 years old, of Groton, NY
- Joshua J. Stimpson, 29 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Zachary M. Thornhill, 36 years old, of Liverpool, NY
- Amanda L. Valenti, 41 years old, of Genoa, NY
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This story was produced with the assistance of Abbey Leibert.
