Buffalo Man Arrested On Cocaine Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Alvin L. Livingston, Jr., 36, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on September 26, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence on Stevenson Street. Livingston was alone in the residence at the time. Officers recovered bundled U.S. currency, a money counter, two digital scales containing suspected cocaine residue, and a vacuum sealing package device.

Following the search of the residence, officers searched a car rented to Livingston, which was parked outside. Inside, they found approximately five kilograms of cocaine in vacuum-sealed packages in the trunk of the vehicle.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being held in custody pending a detention hearing on October 20, 2015, at 11:00 a.m.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.