STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Angel Vazquez, 33, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to distribution of butyryl fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who is handling the case, stated that in July 2017, an individual working with the Drug Enforcement Administration made arrangements with co-defendant Luis Matias to purchase heroin from Matias. On July 26, 2017, Matias agreed to sell heroin to the individual. Matias sent the defendant to deliver the drugs. Angel Vazquez sold five grams of suspected heroin to the individual in exchange for $500.00.
Charges remain pending against Luis Matias. 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.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 11, 2019, before Judge Wolford.