Canadian Man Sentenced for Importing 147,000 Ecstasy Pills

       BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Osborne Young, 47, of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, who was convicted following a jury trial of importing approximately 147,000 pills containing Benzylpiperazine, commonly referred to as Ecstasy, into the United States from Canada, was sentenced to 166 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Catherine Baumgarten, who handled the prosecution of the case at trial, the defendant drove his tractor trailer and attempted to enter the United States from Canada at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry in April 2012. After being pulled over for secondary inspection, Customs and Border Protection Officers discovered approximately 147,000 Ecstasy pills concealed in the refrigeration unit of the tractor trailer. The estimated value of the pills was at least $1,500,000.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of James C. Spero and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Randy Howe, Director of Field Operations.