BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Two people have been arrested and are facing charges after the Erie County Sheriff's Office said they seized three and a half kilos of cocaine and five ounces of fentanyl in a Wednesday drug bust.
At a press conference on Thursday, law enforcement said they also seized more than $200,000 and eight guns, two of which were stolen.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said this narcotics investigation began nearly three months ago. Undersheriff William Cooley called this a "complex case with a lot of moving parts."
He said law enforcement obtained search warrants for three homes in the City of Buffalo. They also obtained a search warrant for one of the defendants, Sidney Mellerson, a resident of the Town of Tonawanda.
Cooley said narcotics detectives set up surveillance at Mellerson's home in the Town of Tonawanda. From his home, they followed Mellerson to one of the three homes in the City of Buffalo.
When Mellerson left that home, authorities followed him on Route 33 where they were able to arrest Mellerson after a traffic stop. Cooley said Mellerson was found with five ounces of crack cocaine.
Mellerson was arraigned on the following offenses:
- One count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree
- Two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree
- Two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree
- Two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree
- Two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree
- One count of tampering with physical evidence
- One count of obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree
- One count of resisting arrest
Following this, Cooley said search warrants were executed by tactical teams at the three homes. At one home, authorities said they recovered 2.5 kilos of cocaine, five ounces of fentanyl, and two stolen guns.
At the second home, Cooley said they found 16 people and 16 ounces of crack cocaine. Cooley said at the third home, where there was a drug overdose, authorities found a loaded gun and 14 people, who he described as "drug users and prostitutes."
All three homes, Cooley said, have been boarded up by the mayor's impact team.
A co-defendant, 31-year-old Keshuan Atwood, was also arraigned on the following offenses:
- One count of tampering with physical evidence
- One count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree
- One count of obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree
- One count of resisting arrest
Atwood was observed by officers on Feb. 8 outside Mellerson's Grandview Avenue home in the town of Tonawanda. A short time later that same day, Atwood was allegedly seen attempting to dispose of evidence at a storage unit facility on Kenmore Avenue in Buffalo.
Atwood is accused of resisting arrest and refusing orders during the incident. He was found in possession of approximately $200,000 in cash, as well as a handgun, which was found inside a plastic bag.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said this drug bust points to a much larger problem in what we are seeing in Western New York.
"The fentanyl mixed with cocaine is killing people in our community. Simple as that. Yes, we're saving a lot with Narcan, but just think about the number and the increase in overdose deaths that we've had in the past three years since covid," Flynn said.
Flynn said the increase in overdose deaths is a result of more drugs on our streets. He said the number of deaths is still rising even though people are being saved with Narcan.
On Thursday, New York State Police released that there has been an increase in overdoses involving heroin:
New York State Police are alerting the public on the increase in overdoses involving heroine in Western New York from January 27, 2023, to February 7, 2023. In twelve days, 94 overdoses have been reported including 6 deaths. In the southern tier, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties have seen 20 overdoses and 3 deaths in that time frame. Naloxone (Narcan) has been administered 57 times during this time frame. The rural areas have a longer medical response than the urban areas, which can contribute to the overdose being fatal. Be aware that a more lethal strand of heroine is being distributed in WNY that may cause death.
For help with addiction:
- Kids Escaping Drugs, 716-827-9462
- NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
- SAMHSA National Helpline - 1-800-662-4357
- University at Buffalo's Western New York Treatment Programs list
