Clay Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun Charges

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Eugene Gilbert, age 30, of Clay, New York pled guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.

As part of his guilty plea, Gilbert admitted that on November 4, 2021, he led DEA Special Agents and other law enforcement officers on a high-speed vehicular chase on Interstate 81 as they attempted to execute search warrants on his vehicle, his person, and his residence in Clay, New York. Pursuing agents broke off the chase for reasons of public safety near Parish, New York. A short time later, Gilbert’s Dodge Ram pickup truck was discovered abandoned near the Village of Parish. Gilbert left a bag containing 50 grams of cocaine, 39 grams of cocaine base, and 6 grams of fentanyl, as well as a loaded 9mm pistol in a nearby dumpster, where they were recovered by DEA Special Agents. The defendant was later arrested on December 17, 2021, after a second vehicle pursuit through Syracuse, Dewitt, and on Interstate 81 after he fled from a United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. As part of his guilty plea, Gilbert also admitted distributing fentanyl on four separate instances between October 14, 2021, and November 2, 2021.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 13, 2023, in Syracuse, New York, at which time Eugene Gilbert faces a maximum sentence of up to 20-years imprisonment for his distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, a 5-year mandatory consecutive sentence for his possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime, a maximum fine of $1,000,000.00, and a post-prison term of supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, the Syracuse Police Department, and the Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol, the New York State Police, and the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick is prosecuting the case.