An Oregon man will spend nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy that stretched across the country and into Western New York.
Robert Fiels, 38, of City Falls, Oregon, was sentenced to 70 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
Prosecutors said Fiels acted as a source of supply for individuals who trafficked marijuana and marijuana-based products nationwide. He used others, including co-defendant Syed Ahmad, to transport the drugs. Other co-defendants, including Frank Vacanti and Vincent Lopresti, distributed the marijuana throughout Western New York.
Between late 2016 and June 2019, Fiels trafficked approximately 1,800 pounds of marijuana to one individual, authorities said.
Law enforcement intercepted the operation multiple times. In January 2017, DEA-Chicago and Amtrak Police stopped Fiels while he traveled from Buffalo to Chicago and seized $222,965 in drug proceeds from his suitcases.
On December 31, 2017, authorities in Morgan County, Illinois, recovered about 1,000 pounds of marijuana from an RV driven by Ahmad and another individual. Prosecutors said the marijuana belonged to Fiels and was destined for locations across the United States.
In January 2018, police in Hobart, Indiana, stopped Fiels for traveling too fast for conditions and seized $48,000 in drug proceeds from his vehicle. In February 2020, law enforcement in Springfield, Oregon, seized approximately $15,000 in drug proceeds sent to Fiels through the U.S. Postal Service.
On June 29, 2020, officers executed search warrants at three Oregon locations tied to Fiels, including his residence and work apartment. Investigators recovered marijuana, marijuana-based products, USPS parcels, packing materials, scales, psychedelic mushrooms, two firearms, liquid steroids, and other drug paraphernalia.
Co-defendants Ahmad, Vacanti, and Lopresti were previously convicted and sentenced.
Homeland Security Investigations in Buffalo led the investigation, with assistance from HSI offices in Oregon and Illinois, Illinois State Police, Oregon State Police, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, the Hobart Police Department in Indiana, and the Springfield Police Department in Oregon.
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