Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. B U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that George Torres, 52, of Buffalo N.Y., pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing with intent to distribute more than 200 grams of heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, a $5,000,000 fine, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that on November 13, 2012, Buffalo Police and the FBI executed a search warrant at the defendant=s residence at 55 Garner Avenue in Buffalo. During the search, law enforcement officers seized over 200 grams of heroin, three handguns, and $368,000 in United States currency.

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation by members of the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge James S. Higgins.