Albion Man Pleads Guilty To Importing Α-Pvp

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051
 
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Donald Stirk, 36, of Albion, NY, pleaded guilty to importing α-PVP into the United States before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who is handling the case, stated that on March 5, 2015, Customs and Border Protection officers in Memphis, Tennessee conducted a routine inspection of a package mailed from China and addressed to the defendant in Albion. The inspection revealed that the package contained α-PVP (sometimes known as “flakka”), a Schedule I controlled substance. On March 13, 2015, law enforcement officers inspected another package from China addressed to the defendant, this time at the Albion Post Office, which again revealed α-PVP.  Subsequent investigation revealed more such packages at the Albion Post Office. On April 15, 2015, officers performed a controlled delivery of several of the packages to the defendant at his Albion residence and then executed a search warrant at the residence revealing an additional quantity of α-PVP.

The plea is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Wolford.