In the first case, Brandon Blackshear, 35, of Olean, NY, was
arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute, and to distribute, crack cocaine and fentanyl. The charge
carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The
defendant made initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth
Schroder and is being held pending a detention hearing on July 19, 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling
the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 2, 2019, members
of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force made a controlled purchase of
crack cocaine from the defendant and a co-conspirator. On January 22, 2019, the
task force made a second controlled purchase of crack cocaine as well as heroin
from Blackshear and a co-conspirator.
In the second case, Christopher T. Dupont, 32, of Salamanca,
NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute, and to distribute, butyryl fentanyl. That charge
also carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
AUSA Violanti stated that according to the complaint against
Dupont, since July of 2018, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force has been
conducting an investigation into the distribution of heroin in and around
Salamanca, NY. That investigation identified the defendant as a distributor of
heroin in and around Salamanca. During the course of the investigation,
investigators conducted controlled purchases of butyryl fentanyl from Dupont on
July 11 and August 29, 2018.
On August 30, 2018, investigators executed a state search
warrant at the defendant’s Elm Street residence. During execution of the search
warrant, officers observed several items dropped out of a window of the
residence, including several small clear baggies with a powdery substance
(suspected butyryl fentanyl) and several pills, an empty cigarette pack, and a
small scale. Dupont was subsequently arrested on state charges. Dupont also
made an initial appearance before Judge Schroeder. A detention hearing is
scheduled for July 16, 2019.
“This Office takes seriously our federal trust
responsibility and obligation to pursue justice in Indian Country and to work diligently
to increase public safety and the quality of lives in tribal communities,”
stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “These
arrests make clear our commitment to work in order to improve the quality of
life for all native residents in those communities.”
The complaints are the result of an investigation by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, under the direction of Jason Thompson, Associate Director
of the Office of Justice Services; the Southern Regional Drug Task Force, under
the direction of Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Ronald Lott;
the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy
Whitcomb; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special
Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; and the Salamanca Police
Department, under the direction of Chief Troy Westfall.
