Lyons Man Sentenced On Drug Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Daniel Safranec, 29, of Lyons, NY, who was convicted of manufacturing more than 50 marijuana plants, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer.

                Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who handled the case, stated that on November 6, 2012, New York State Police troopers responded to a call in vicinity of 7312 Old Lyons Road in Lyons for a report of pigs which were not contained within a pen. Upon arrival, troopers saw two pigs loose in the yard of the residence. Troopers approached the residence to speak with the owner, whom they identified as Daniel Safranec, and detected the smell of marijuana coming from the residence. They briefly spoke with the defendant and then left the area. Troopers later returned with a search warrant. During the execution of the search warrant, troopers located 261 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, mason jars used for storage of dried marijuana, and various pieces of high wattage grow lights and other equipment necessary for operating a sophisticated indoor marijuana cultivation operation. Law enforcement also located and seized approximately $800.00 in US currency.

                In April of 2013, after a follow-up investigation, Safranec was arrested on federal drug charges related to the November 6, 2012, incident. When officers went to arrest Safranec on April 23, 2013, they observed approximately five bundles of a substance which they believed to be marijuana located on a kitchen counter, marijuana clippings in a plastic bin in the living room and a glass mason jar on the kitchen counter which contained dried marijuana. Law enforcement obtained a second search warrant for the residence. Agents found marijuana on the floor near the bedrooms and multiple marijuana plant structures at various stages of growth, as well as equipment associated with a marijuana grow operation. In a barn on the property, officers discovered racks of marijuana which had been harvested and appeared to be drying. The harvested marijuana and the various items associated with marijuana cultivation, as well as a total of 202 marijuana plants, were seized.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Craig S. Hanesworth.