NT man pleads guilty to drug and weapons counts in federal court

Rick Pfeiffer -, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·1 min read

Sep. 19—BUFFALO — A North Tonawanda man has pleaded guilty to drug- and weapons-related charges in federal court in Buffalo.

Daniel Rodriguez, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition during a hearing Friday before before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine up to $8 million.

Federal prosecutors said Rodriguez and co-defendant Adrienne Czosnyka were living together in a home on Center Avenue in North Tonawanda in September 2020. At that time, the prosecutors said, Rodriguez had become the target of a drug investigation being conducted by the Town of Tonawanda Police Department

On Sept. 11, 2020, drug investigators executed a search warrant at Rodriguez and Czosnyka's home. The investigators recovered more than 500 grams of cocaine, four digital scales, 10 cell phones and more than $4,700 in cash.

The agents also found a 12-gauge shotgun and three rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors said Rodriguez is legally barred from possessing firearms and ammunition as a result of previous felony convictions in 2001 and 2007.

In addition to Rodriguez's plea, Czosnyka previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of possession of cocaine. She faces up to a year in prison when she is sentenced for that plea.

Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing in December.