BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Joshua Levine, 24, of Lancaster, NY, who was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Tripi and Charles J. Volkert, Jr., who handled the case, stated that between June 2013 and March 23, 2017, the defendant conspired with Robert Moore and others to distribute heroin in the City of Buffalo and surrounding suburbs. Levine was a user of the heroin and fentanyl he obtained from Moore, but during the course of the conspiracy, he also re-distributed some of the drugs to other users for profit.
On February 18, 2017, Levine received a quantity of heroin and fentanyl from Moore, which Levine, in turn, distributed to an individual identified as B.G., who thereafter died as the result of an overdose.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers from the Amherst, Lancaster, and Buffalo Police Departments, and the New York State Police and DEA, conducted 11 controlled purchases of fentanyl and butyryl fentanyl from co-defendant Robert Moore. Additionally, on February 23, 2017, law enforcement officers with the Amherst Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Joshua Levine. On March 16, 2017, law enforcement officers conducted search warrants at Robert Moore’s residence on Glenwood Drive in Williamsville, NY, and also at Joshua Levine’s residence on Aurora Street in Lancaster, NY. A quantity of fentanyl with identical drug packaging was discovered at each of those residences.
Both Robert Moore and Joshua Levine were arrested the day of the search warrants.
Robert Moore was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing. Two other co-defendant, Reese Moore, and Kevin Abernathy, were also previously convicted and sentenced.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Ray Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division; the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott P. Chamberlin; the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), under the direction of Major Mary Clark, and Lieutenant Kevin Reyes; the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief William J. Karn, Jr.; the Buffalo Police Department Narcotics Squad, under the direction of Commissioner Byron C. Lockwood; the Lockport Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Steven Abbott; the Depew Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerome Miller; the Niagara County Sherriff’s Office and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti; the Erie County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in Charge Kevin Kelly.