samanthajane13
05-15-2009, 11:07 AM
Among those arrested is West Side man who beat similar charges in 2007
By Dan Herbeck
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
In late 2007, after Buffalo police said they found drugs, guns and cash in Elliott Fuentes’ West Side home, Fuentes beat the charges against him and walked away a free man.
Thinking that Fuentes might be untouchable by law enforcement, friends and neighbors on Plymouth Avenue called him “The Godfather,” and Fuentes even adopted the nickname for himself on his Facebook social networking site.
But Fuentes, 36, was arrested again Wednesday, and this time, federal agents and prosecutors believe they have the evidence to put him in prison for a long time.
“As the leader of a continuing criminal enterprise, if convicted of that charge, he will face a mandatory sentence of 20 years and possibly life in prison,” acting U. S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter said.
The stocky Fuentes wore a brown T-shirt with the word “EARN” on the front of it and “RESPECT” on the back as he pleaded not guilty before U. S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy.
He and 29 other suspected heroin and cocaine dealers were arrested, many of them apprehended in a series of 6 a. m. raids conducted by the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Buffalo police, state police and other agencies.
Seven other men were arrested last week in connection with the same investigation, and at that time, police found a number of deadly weapons, including two fully automatic machine guns, several semiautomatic weapons and two military rifles with bayonets on them.
DEA agents said the investigation targeted heroin trafficking on the West Side, which they say is fueling a serious and growing heroin addiction problem in the region.
In recent years, when cops arrest heroin addicts in the city and suburbs, they frequently cite the West Side as the place where they bought it, police said.
“The West Side is a major source of heroin in Western New York,” said Charles H. Tomazewski, agent in charge of the regional DEA office.
Police said the two main dealers they targeted were Fuentes, who refers to himself as “Godfather” on his Facebook page, and Marcelino Fernandez, 24, who lives on Philadelphia Street and operates a West Side auto repair garage.
People in Fuentes’ neighborhood
— a mix of well-kept and badly run-down small homes near Plymouth and Hampshire Street — confirmed the story about Fuentes being known as the “Godfather.”
One woman who lives nearby said Fuentes was called “Godfather” — after the famous film about a mobster portrayed by Marlon Brando — because people thought he must have some special connections to stay out of prison despite being well-known as a drug dealer.
“The police arrested him, then he was released,” said the women, who said she worries about the safety of her children and declined to give her name. “People wondered how he did that.”
The woman said she doesn’t know if Wednesday’s drug raids will have any lasting effect on drug trafficking in her neighborhood, which she described as dangerous and out of control.
She pointed at a tree down the street, saying a young man had been shot and killed next to the tree a few months ago.
“This used to be a good neighborhood. Not any more. Too many young people going around with drugs and guns,” the woman said. “I don’t go out at all at night, and neither do my kids.”
Asked about the October 2007 drug case, police confirmed that Fuentes was arrested. Two pounds of cocaine, seven ounces of heroin, $60,000 in cash and two handguns were recovered. But they said the charges against Fuentes were dropped because one of his relatives said the drugs belonged to him.
“[Fuentes] does have three previous felony convictions,” said one investigator familiar with Fuentes. “And with this arrest [ Wednesday], he’s facing some very serious charges.”
Fernandez is also considered a major West Side heroin dealer, according to federal prosecutors William J. Gillmeister and Joel L. Violanti.
Investigators said they learned that Fernandez had a source of heroin and cocaine in New York City and that the source had been hiring couriers to deliver drugs to Fernandez’s drug organization every eight to 10 days. Extensive wiretaps of telephones were used in the probe.
DEA agents said Fuentes was getting his drugs from a source in Puerto Rico. They said drug sources in both Puerto Rico and New York City have been charged in the case.
Police recovered enough heroin to make up about 20,000 doses, said Dale M. Kasprzyk, a DEA supervisor, adding that the typical heroin addict takes one to three doses of the drug daily.
The DEA worked closely on the case with Buffalo police, state police, Cheektowaga police, the Erie County district attorney’s office, the U. S. attorney’s office and other agencies. Mehltretter, District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III and Mayor Byron W. Brown all spoke about the case during an afternoon news conference in DEA offices.
Fuentes was arrested in an apartment on the 500 block of Plymouth, where he was staying with his wife and three children, agents said.
Others facing felony drug counts were identified as: Jason Alemany, 26; Ricardo “Congo” Rodriguez, 29; Dinorach Feliciano, 37; Milagros Fuentes, 38; Wahabbi Halton, 37; Juan De- Jesus, 31; Johnny Ortega, 28; Nelson Rivera, 23; Aladino Rodriguez, 42; Damen Koonce, 24; Javier Castillo, 36; Christian Castillo, 22; Carlos Martinez, 23; Alex Fernandez, 23; Susan Rivera, 23; Larry Scisson, 55; Darnell Coffman, 31; Ondray Donaldson, 32; Francisco Santiago, 25; Justin Johns, 30, and Arthur Clark, 62; Edgar Guzman, 28; Richardo Mitchell, 24; Jeffrey Munro, 30; Joseph Sciolino, 20; Victor Ortiz-Delgado, 28; Andres Cruz-Medina, 22; Rafael Omar Martinex, 21; and Michael Nicotra, 34, all of Buffalo.
Also charged were Christopher Hoffman, 21, and Gamaliel Linares, 25, of the Town of Tonawanda; Luis Brito-Reinoso, 48, and Genesis Toribio, 43, of New York City, and Hector Ramos Rivera, 25, and Cynthia Casanova- Valentine, 29, of Puerto Rico.
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/671025.html?imw=Y
By Dan Herbeck
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
In late 2007, after Buffalo police said they found drugs, guns and cash in Elliott Fuentes’ West Side home, Fuentes beat the charges against him and walked away a free man.
Thinking that Fuentes might be untouchable by law enforcement, friends and neighbors on Plymouth Avenue called him “The Godfather,” and Fuentes even adopted the nickname for himself on his Facebook social networking site.
But Fuentes, 36, was arrested again Wednesday, and this time, federal agents and prosecutors believe they have the evidence to put him in prison for a long time.
“As the leader of a continuing criminal enterprise, if convicted of that charge, he will face a mandatory sentence of 20 years and possibly life in prison,” acting U. S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter said.
The stocky Fuentes wore a brown T-shirt with the word “EARN” on the front of it and “RESPECT” on the back as he pleaded not guilty before U. S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy.
He and 29 other suspected heroin and cocaine dealers were arrested, many of them apprehended in a series of 6 a. m. raids conducted by the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Buffalo police, state police and other agencies.
Seven other men were arrested last week in connection with the same investigation, and at that time, police found a number of deadly weapons, including two fully automatic machine guns, several semiautomatic weapons and two military rifles with bayonets on them.
DEA agents said the investigation targeted heroin trafficking on the West Side, which they say is fueling a serious and growing heroin addiction problem in the region.
In recent years, when cops arrest heroin addicts in the city and suburbs, they frequently cite the West Side as the place where they bought it, police said.
“The West Side is a major source of heroin in Western New York,” said Charles H. Tomazewski, agent in charge of the regional DEA office.
Police said the two main dealers they targeted were Fuentes, who refers to himself as “Godfather” on his Facebook page, and Marcelino Fernandez, 24, who lives on Philadelphia Street and operates a West Side auto repair garage.
People in Fuentes’ neighborhood
— a mix of well-kept and badly run-down small homes near Plymouth and Hampshire Street — confirmed the story about Fuentes being known as the “Godfather.”
One woman who lives nearby said Fuentes was called “Godfather” — after the famous film about a mobster portrayed by Marlon Brando — because people thought he must have some special connections to stay out of prison despite being well-known as a drug dealer.
“The police arrested him, then he was released,” said the women, who said she worries about the safety of her children and declined to give her name. “People wondered how he did that.”
The woman said she doesn’t know if Wednesday’s drug raids will have any lasting effect on drug trafficking in her neighborhood, which she described as dangerous and out of control.
She pointed at a tree down the street, saying a young man had been shot and killed next to the tree a few months ago.
“This used to be a good neighborhood. Not any more. Too many young people going around with drugs and guns,” the woman said. “I don’t go out at all at night, and neither do my kids.”
Asked about the October 2007 drug case, police confirmed that Fuentes was arrested. Two pounds of cocaine, seven ounces of heroin, $60,000 in cash and two handguns were recovered. But they said the charges against Fuentes were dropped because one of his relatives said the drugs belonged to him.
“[Fuentes] does have three previous felony convictions,” said one investigator familiar with Fuentes. “And with this arrest [ Wednesday], he’s facing some very serious charges.”
Fernandez is also considered a major West Side heroin dealer, according to federal prosecutors William J. Gillmeister and Joel L. Violanti.
Investigators said they learned that Fernandez had a source of heroin and cocaine in New York City and that the source had been hiring couriers to deliver drugs to Fernandez’s drug organization every eight to 10 days. Extensive wiretaps of telephones were used in the probe.
DEA agents said Fuentes was getting his drugs from a source in Puerto Rico. They said drug sources in both Puerto Rico and New York City have been charged in the case.
Police recovered enough heroin to make up about 20,000 doses, said Dale M. Kasprzyk, a DEA supervisor, adding that the typical heroin addict takes one to three doses of the drug daily.
The DEA worked closely on the case with Buffalo police, state police, Cheektowaga police, the Erie County district attorney’s office, the U. S. attorney’s office and other agencies. Mehltretter, District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III and Mayor Byron W. Brown all spoke about the case during an afternoon news conference in DEA offices.
Fuentes was arrested in an apartment on the 500 block of Plymouth, where he was staying with his wife and three children, agents said.
Others facing felony drug counts were identified as: Jason Alemany, 26; Ricardo “Congo” Rodriguez, 29; Dinorach Feliciano, 37; Milagros Fuentes, 38; Wahabbi Halton, 37; Juan De- Jesus, 31; Johnny Ortega, 28; Nelson Rivera, 23; Aladino Rodriguez, 42; Damen Koonce, 24; Javier Castillo, 36; Christian Castillo, 22; Carlos Martinez, 23; Alex Fernandez, 23; Susan Rivera, 23; Larry Scisson, 55; Darnell Coffman, 31; Ondray Donaldson, 32; Francisco Santiago, 25; Justin Johns, 30, and Arthur Clark, 62; Edgar Guzman, 28; Richardo Mitchell, 24; Jeffrey Munro, 30; Joseph Sciolino, 20; Victor Ortiz-Delgado, 28; Andres Cruz-Medina, 22; Rafael Omar Martinex, 21; and Michael Nicotra, 34, all of Buffalo.
Also charged were Christopher Hoffman, 21, and Gamaliel Linares, 25, of the Town of Tonawanda; Luis Brito-Reinoso, 48, and Genesis Toribio, 43, of New York City, and Hector Ramos Rivera, 25, and Cynthia Casanova- Valentine, 29, of Puerto Rico.
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/671025.html?imw=Y