New York Attorney General Letitia James is announcing dozens of arrests resulting from a multi-year investigation into an interconnected drug pedaling operation that crossed several counties, including Monroe.
Speaking at her Rochester office Tuesday, James said the investigation originated in Wayne County, and netted 10 kilograms of fentanyl, more than 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1/4 of a pound of heroin.
She said that in total, the drugs recovered were worth more than $9 million, and added that, “this is an astonishing amount of drugs, and the fentanyl figure is especially disturbing given how dangerous it is.”
James said that 48 individuals will be charged with various counts of criminal sale, criminal possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit the alleged crimes.
The Attorney General said that the investigation centered around Wayne County and Avenue D in Rochester.
James said that one person accused in the investigation even managed shipments of the drugs while serving time in federal prison.
Wayne County Sheriff Rob Milby said that because of these arrests, and the drugs and weapons that were confiscated, “the quality of life in western New York just improved tremendously.”
James said the drug trafficking network operated in Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca and yates counties.
The two-year investigation was led by the Office of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and brought together the resources of more than a dozen state, local and federal law enforcement agencies.
