Seven people have pleaded guilty in a western New York drug-trafficking case, and six have been sentenced, according to an Oct. 13 announcement from Attorney General Letitia James. One defendant is still awaiting sentencing.
The attorney general's Organized Crime Task Force said the operation sold fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. Investigators recovered nearly a kilogram of cocaine valued at $30,000, more than a half-pound of methamphetamine valued at $1,500, more than an ounce of fentanyl valued at $1,600, and about $4,000 in cash.
How investigators described the operation
According to the attorney general's office, Ronnie Dupree bought large quantities of the drugs from Dion Anderson, Kenneth Pringle, Antwain Jackson and others. Dupree and Jackson traveled from Buffalo to Jamestown to meet customers and make sales arranged by phone.
Investigators said Anderson sold cocaine from his Buffalo home and supplied David Vaughn and others. A search of Anderson's home yielded more than a half-pound of cocaine, a scale with cocaine residue and more than $4,000 in cash. Devan Huntington and Sabrina Leeper obtained drugs, including methamphetamine, from Jackson, the attorney general's office said.
Court-authorized wiretaps captured conversations in which defendants used coded terms for the drugs, according to the release. The seven were indicted in February 2025 and later admitted their roles through guilty pleas.
Pleas and sentences
Dupree, 49, of Buffalo pleaded guilty in November 2025 to two counts of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He admitted selling cocaine and was sentenced Oct. 13 to 10 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Anderson, 46, of Buffalo pleaded guilty in November 2025 to two counts of second-degree criminal sale and one count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. He admitted selling cocaine and was sentenced March 27 to eight years in prison followed by five years of supervision.
Jackson, 50, of Buffalo pleaded guilty in June to second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. He admitted selling methamphetamine and was sentenced Sept. 29 to six years in prison followed by five years of supervision.
Pringle, 52, of Niagara Falls pleaded guilty in September 2025 to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance after admitting he sold cocaine. He was sentenced Dec. 17, 2025, to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervision.
Leeper, 52, of Jamestown pleaded guilty in September 2025 to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance after admitting she sold methamphetamine. She was sentenced Jan. 15 to five years of probation.
Vaughn, 28, of Buffalo pleaded guilty in November 2025 to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and admitted possessing cocaine with intent to sell. He was sentenced May 20 to five years of probation.
Huntington, 32, of Jamestown pleaded guilty in November 2025 to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and admitted possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell. The attorney general's office said he was awaiting sentencing as of Oct. 13.
The sentences were imposed in Erie County Court before Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes. The attorney general's office described the case as the conclusion of a 19-month prosecution following a joint investigation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Niagara Falls Police Department; Buffalo police and the New York Army National Guard Counter Drug Task Force also assisted.
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