Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty For His Role In Cross Country Drug Conspiracy

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jabriel Crews, 34, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine.
  
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that between January 2014 and June 1, 2016, the defendant purchased multi-kilo quantities of cocaine from a source in Houston, Texas. Co-defendant Mark Ramos, an associate of the Houston source-of-supply, would mail the cocaine to addresses in Buffalo provided by Crews. The defendant would then receive those parcels and process and repackage the cocaine for distribution at 236 Katherine Street in Buffalo. In exchange, Crews would make payment to his source in Texas using some combination of a courier and U.S. mail parcels mailed to P.O. boxes set up in the Houston, Texas area.

On June 1, 2016, a search warrant was executed at 236 Katherine Street. Law enforcement officers recovered a scale with powder residue, packaging materials including bags and a vacuum sealer, identification cards, and one live bullet.

Mark Ramos was previously convicted on federal charges and is awaiting sentencing. Charles Gonzalez was charged and convicted in state court.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.
 
Sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2018, before Judge Larimer.