Buffalo Woman Arrested On Fentanyl And Cocaine Charges In The Southern Tier

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

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jade Hooks, 22, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 19, 2021, a Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s deputy observed a vehicle in the driveway of a residence on Erie Street in the Town of Little Valley that was known as a location used to distribute illicit narcotics. The deputy initiated surveillance of the vehicle and noticed that it was running and occupied. The deputy continued to surveil the vehicle after it left the Erie Street residence and traveled to a residence on Jefferson Street, which is also a known location utilized for the distribution of illicit narcotics. The deputy observed a female, later identified as the defendant, exit the vehicle carrying a black backpack-style bag. After getting out of the vehicle, Hooks walked to the trunk area and placed the bag into the trunk, and then re-entered the vehicle and left the residence. The deputy continued to surveil the vehicle and a short time later conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle, during which members of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force arrived at the scene. An investigator noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Hooks and two passengers were then removed from the vehicle and the vehicle was searched. Investigators recovered a digital scale containing suspected drug residue, approximately 40 grams of suspected crack cocaine, a large quantity of United States currency, and approximately 206 grams of suspected fentanyl, which was located in the black backpack in the trunk.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was held pending a detention hearing on January 27, 2021.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office and the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division. 

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.

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