Schenectady man sentenced to 8 years for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and laundering drug proceeds

ALBANY, NY – A Schenectady man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering involving shipments of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from California to New York.

Terence Butler, 36, received a 96-month sentence on Wednesday for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and laundering drug money, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced Thursday.

Butler admitted to directing others to travel to Beverly Hills, California, to obtain narcotics, which were then shipped to various addresses in Schenectady. On January 4, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package containing 1.65 kilograms of cocaine. On August 3, 2023, another package destined for Schenectady was seized before delivery; it contained approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills and 5,000 methamphetamine pills.

Prosecutors also said Butler coordinated the return of $350,000 in drug proceeds to his supplier over a three-week period between December 2022 and January 2023.

In addition to the prison sentence, United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci imposed a four-year term of supervised release and ordered Butler to forfeit $77,427 in drug proceeds.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations Newark and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner.

Authorities say Butler funneled dangerous drugs across state lines and has now been sentenced for his role in the interstate trafficking network.

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