Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty To Fentanyl Distribution

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

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Eddie Lee Watson, 64, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl, before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. 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 four dates in April, May, and June 2014, the defendant sold fentanyl patches, and on two of those occasions he also sold oxymorphone (e.g. Opana) pills, to an individual in Buffalo.

The plea is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 23, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Skretny.