Pair of Niagara County residents charged in WNY drug trafficking bust

Nov. 3—One resident from Niagara Falls and another from Lockport are facing drug trafficking charges after an investigation led by the New York State Attorney General's Office into the distribution of cocaine and fentanyl in Western New York.

State Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday the unsealing of a 129-count indictment that accuses 14 people of trafficking more than $250,000 of cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills disguised as Oxycodone throughout Niagara and Erie counties. Her office said the investigation ultimately led to the seizure of approximately 1,440 counterfeit prescription "M-30" fentanyl pills, nearly 1 kilogram of cocaine, a loaded .45 caliber pistol, and more than $4,000 in cash.

"Keeping our streets and communities safe from dangerous drugs and violence is a top priority," James said in a release announcing the unsealing of the indictment. "Any drug operation that floods our streets with cocaine and fentanyl puts our residents at risk, but this operation was particularly dangerous because they disguised these lethal drugs as prescription pills."

The attorney general's Organized Crime Task Force led an 18-month investigation into the drug trafficking in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Buffalo office and the New York State Police Violent Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team.

Dubbed "Operation Big Eight Narco," due to the frequent trafficking of cocaine in one-eighth kilogram amounts, the investigation included physical and court-authorized wiretapping of cellular telephones. During the investigation, wiretaps captured numerous conversations among individuals who frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their activities, such as referring to cocaine as "big eight," "girl" or "chicken," and narcotics proceeds as "ticket," "bread" or "bones."

The two Niagara County residents named in the indictment are 48-year-old Tajine Benning of Niagara Falls and 36-year-old Michael McPhee of Lockport. The other defendants in the case are from Buffalo.

The indictment alleges that the central figure in the trafficking network, Charles Sims, purchased large quantities of cocaine from Musa Ramadan, Tevin Jeter, Eric Richmond and others, and then supplied large quantities of cocaine for resale to McPhee, Devon Jones, Gregory Miller and others. Miller, who is now deceased, allegedly obtained large quantities of counterfeit prescription "M-30" fentanyl pills from Michael Clark Jr., who then supplied the pills for resale to Anthony Fugate and others. Benning, a customer of Sims, was the subject of a traffic stop that led to the recovery of a loaded .45-caliber pistol. Sims is charged with operating as a major trafficker, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

"DEA investigates criminal networks, worldwide and locally, who are responsible for fueling drug poisonings and violent crime," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. "This particular investigation highlights how drug traffickers use social media and violence to further their illegal business, leaving damaged communities in their wake."

The indictment charges the 14 individuals with various crimes including operating as a major trafficker, criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy.

Officers from the Buffalo, Amherst and Lockport Police departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the New York State Army National Guard Counter Drug Task Force also took part in the investigation.