ROCHESTER — Fourty-one-year-old Kenya Brown of Rochester was sentenced to 20 years and 8 months in prison and 5 years supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 following a conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack” cocaine), and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was further required to forfeit any interest in $303,355.00 in drug trafficking proceeds, along with 12 shotguns, 8 rifles, and 472 rounds of ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that between 2006 and March 2012, Kenya along with his brother, Shawnta Brown, obtained kilogram quantities of cocaine, manufactured cocaine base from cocaine, broke down and packaged smaller quantities of cocaine and cocaine base for resale, distributed cocaine and cocaine base directly to others, operated drug houses where they directed and supervised lower-level members of the conspiracy who sold cocaine and cocaine base to others.

The Brown brothers were arrested March 9, 2012, when officers raided 2294 Clifford Avenue, 138 Strong Street, 29 Aberdeen Street and other locations in Rochester utilized by the brothers in their drug trafficking operation.  At these locations, officers seized more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, a quantity of cocaine base, firearms with ammunition, paraphernalia for the packaging, processing and weighing of narcotics, and receipts for gold and silver bars.  A few days later, officers raided a residence in the Town of Red Creek, Cayuga County, seizing more firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $303,355 in U.S. currency, and over $23,000 in gold and silver bars and coins.

The investigation continued, and resulted in the arrest of Eric Contreras, 29, the California kilogram supplier on May 15, 2012, in Whittier, California.  On April 9, 2013, Contreras was sentenced upon his conviction in the Western District of New York for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine to 188 months imprisonment.  Shawnta Brown, who was also convicted on conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and “crack” cocaine was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison.

from US Dept. of Justice via IFTTT