Buffalo Man Arrested For Selling Heroin

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jawayne Watkins, 29, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in July 2017, an undercover officer made a $1,500 controlled purchase heroin from the defendant. Prior to the purchase, investigators surveilled the defendant as he left his Thompson Street residence and traveled to meet the undercover officer. Investigators then followed Watkins as he conducted what appeared to be another drug transaction on Farmer Street before returning to his Thompson Street residence.

Watkins is currently on New York State parole and living in a halfway house.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.    

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on November 28, 2017. 

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.