SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The last member of the Syracuse drug trafficking ring that brought kilogram quantities of heroin and fentanyl from Pennsylvania to Syracuse, has been convicted and sentenced on Monday, December 19.
The last of 14 defendants charged and convicted in this major heroin and fentanyl trafficking case, 22-year-old Yoan Rodriguez of Syracuse, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
Rodriguez was sentenced to serve a total of 120 months of incarceration based on his previous guilty plea to drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman announced the news along with Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino, III, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Albany Field Office, and Chief of Police Joseph Cecile, Syracuse Police Department.
Rodriguez was also ordered to serve a five-year supervised release term after his release from prison, and forfeit a handgun and a money judgment in the amount of $35,000 to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the money judgment represents the value of unrecovered drug proceeds.
The investigation revealed that the kilogram quantities of heroin and fentanyl were packaged and distributed over several months in 2020.
During the investigation, law enforcement not only seized multiple kilograms of heroin and fentanyl but also multiple firearms, several vehicles, and large sums of United States currency.
The other defendants charged in this case, and the sentences they received, are listed below.
| Defendant | Age | Residence | Prison Sentence |
| Alejandro De Jesus Tavarez | 31 | Syracuse | 120 months |
| Alexander Tavarez Espinal | 37 | Syracuse | 120 months |
| Jan Leonel Vazquez Familia | 31 | Hazelton, PA | 68 months |
| Jahdier Dowdell | 20 | Syracuse | 70 months |
| Maurice Graves | 24 | Syracuse | 123 months |
| Kamiya Joe, aka “K-Joe” | 24 | Syracuse | 36 months |
| Jonah Sutton, aka “Kunsa” | 28 | Syracuse | 31 months |
| Dianisha Trapps, aka “Dutchess” | 28 | Syracuse | 24 months |
| Tacarra Newton, aka “T-Newt” | 26 | Syracuse | 60 months |
| Tywone Haskins, aka “Ty” | 23 | Syracuse | 60 months |
| Joshua Stanley, aka “40” | 27 | Syracuse | 30 months |
| Shateek Brown, aka “Teek” and “Stu” | 27 | Syracuse | 41 months |
| Treyquwan Rucker | 24 | Syracuse | 120 months |
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Syracuse Police Department-Gang Violence Task Force and Special Investigations Division (GVTF and SID), the New York State Police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, the Auburn Police Department, and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Commandeur.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on its website.
