A 23-year-old Buffalo man faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal firearm charge tied to a drug trafficking investigation, prosecutors said.
Antonio Rivera-Perez entered the plea before a U.S. District Court judge, admitting to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charge carries a potential sentence ranging from five years to life in prison, along with a possible $250,000 fine.
Federal prosecutors said the case stems from a series of controlled drug purchases conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2025. Investigators later executed a search warrant at Rivera-Perez’s residence on Langfield Drive in April 2025.
During the search, authorities seized more than a kilogram of powder cocaine, nearly 200 grams each of crack cocaine and fentanyl, along with a Glock 19 handgun, ammunition, cash and drug paraphernalia.
The case was investigated by the DEA’s New York Field Division and is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys in the Western District of New York.
Rivera-Perez is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 11, 2026.
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