Buffalo man sentenced on drug and gun charges

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Felix Calderon-Valcarel, 34, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine, who handled the case, stated that between May 2018 and September 2018, law enforcement officers conducted a series of controlled buys and payments from Calderon-Valcarcel. In addition, between July 2018 and February 2019, officers seized approximately 8.5 kilograms of cocaine and $52,000 in U.S. currency from postal parcels shipped from Puerto Rico to various locations in the Western District of New York, Florida, Alaska, Georgia, and Pennsylvania using the United States Postal Service. The shipments were made to Calderon-Valcarcel or to a co-conspirator. Additionally, the investigation identified $55,700 in U.S. currency and/or money orders shipped in parcels from Calderon-Valcarcel or co-conspirators to Puerto Rico as payment to the source of supply for the cocaine. In March 2019, the Lackawanna Police Department executed a search warrant at Calderon-Valcarcel’s residence and vehicle. Officers seized $10,000 in cash, five kilograms of cocaine, and a 9mm firearm.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division; The Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division; the Orchard Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Fitzgerald; the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Packard; and the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Dienes.

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