A resident of Jamestown has been handed a seven-year incarceration order after a trial found him guilty of being involved in a narcotics conspiracy. This individual, named Kyle Lewis and aged 33, was given his sentence by a presiding judge from the U.S. District Court.
Prosecutors have established that Lewis was actively circulating narcotics such as heroin and fentanyl. His sources for these illegal substances were collaborators known as Holly Berenguer, Richard Philbrick, and Joseph Zaso, who were named co-defendants in this case.
To conduct his illicit trade, Lewis took advantage of various electronic channels. He utilised social media platforms and digital payment applications such as Facebook and CashApp respectively, enabling him to connect with customers and facilitate transactions discreetly.
In the months of March, June, and July in the year 2022, law enforcement agents managed to execute five controlled buys from Lewis. These buys serve as concrete evidence of Lewis’s involvement in drug trafficking, leading to his subsequent conviction.
Meanwhile, his co-defendants Berenguer, Philbrick, and Zaso have already faced the court and been convicted. They are currently in the stage before sentencing as they await their respective punitive measures, highlighting an ongoing process in tackling organized drug crime.
The investigation into this narcotics conspiracy, leading to the arrests and convictions, was part of the operations of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. The acronym for the agency is OCDETF, and their principal mission is to counteract significant criminal organizations posing a threat to the nation’s wellbeing.
The OCDETF operates by identifying major criminal networks, disrupting their operations, and ultimately working to dismantle them. It does so with a distinct strategy orchestrated by leading prosecutors and powered by the intelligence collected by various agencies in a joint endeavor.
In Kyle Lewis’s case, his sentencing comes as an outcome of the diligent investigations carried out by several law enforcement bodies. The local Jamestown Police Department played a crucial role in unraveling the conspiracy.
Another important contributor in ensuring the successful conclusion of the investigation was the Drug Enforcement Administration. Their experience and capabilities in combating drug-centered crimes provided essential support in the case against Lewis and his co-defendants.
Finally, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office was also instrumental in this case. Working in collaboration with the other mentioned departments, the Sheriff’s Office held a pivotal role in securing a conviction for this high-profile narcotics conspiracy.