BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Andrew Medina, 29, of Niagara Falls, NY, with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; attempting to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on September 1, 2020, a United States Postal Inspector executed a federal search warrant on a parcel, which contained approximately 1.14 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. On September 4, 2020, a controlled delivery of the parcel was conducted to a residence on South Avenue in Niagara Falls. Shortly after it was dropped off on the porch of the South Avenue address, an individual, later identified as the defendant, retrieved the package, got into a vehicle, and departed the residence with a small child.
After Medina returned to the residence a short time later, a monitoring device, which had been placed in the parcel, sent an alert that the parcel was opened inside of the residence. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at the residence. Investigators recovered a pistol with a loaded magazine and approximately $15,000 of U.S. currency, and Medina was arrested.
The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and was detained.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division, 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.