Quebec Man Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone Conspiracy Following Extradition from Canada

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert Jon Lazore, age 42, of Snye, Quebec, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in Franklin County. 

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office; Matthew Rourke, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Chief; Rose M. Brophy, Director of Field Operations,  Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Buffalo Field Office; and James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

As part of his plea, Lazore admitted that between 2008 and November 2012, he operated a drug trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, which straddles the United States and Canadian border along the Saint Lawrence River.  Lazore obtained 5,000 oxycodone tablets at a time from Canadian suppliers for distribution on the reservation.   Lazore used at least 8 couriers and runners to coordinate the distribution of oxycodone to his customers.  These couriers and runners included Carrie Lazore, Teri Jo Lazore, Travis Adams, Todd Edwards, and James Labarr.  Lazore regularly provided each courier with 100 to 200 tablets of oxycodone to sell to customers in both Canada and the United States.

In December 2017, Lazore was extradited from Canada to the United States following a term of imprisonment in Canada.

As part of the same case, the following people have pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and been sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, as follows:

Robert Jon Lazore faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life when Judge D’Agostino sentences him on October 22, 2018.  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.

This case is the result of close cooperative efforts of HSI, led by the Massena Residence Office, in conjunction with CBP, DEA, and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police.  These agencies worked closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Akwesasne Mohawk Tribal Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, and the Canada Border Services Agency, as well as U.S. Border Patrol, the New York State Police, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Potsdam Police Department, and Plattsburgh Police Department. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe.  Lazore was extradited to face charges in the Northern District of New York with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.