BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Fentanyl, cocaine, cash, guns, drugs and more. That's what authorities say they found after a large investigation into illegal drug dealing in Western New York.
"What can we do to stop this," Erie County Sheriff John Garcia asked while speaking Tuesday in Buffalo at a news conference where authorities announced new drug-related arrests. He then answered, "On the national level, we need to tighten our borders."
"These dangerous drugs that we tell people your drugs are not safe, but you got heroin, you have cocaine, crack cocaine, you have fentanyl and these other synthetic opioids and they're not homegrown, they're not manufactured here so they're brought in," said Garcia.
These comments come as two men from Western New York face new charges following an investigation by multiple agencies.
42-year-old Dewayne Vass was arrested after investigators searched him and his two homes. Prosecutors say they stopped him on July 12, 2024 after he left a home on Moselle Street in Buffalo. They say they found cocaine and fentanyl in his pocket.
Later that same day, investigators searched an apartment on Moselle where they claim to have recovered more fentanyl, cocaine, scales, cutting equipment, packing materials and cash.
Hours later, authorities searched Vass' second-known residence on Sunshine Drive in Getzville. Inside, they say a loaded handgun was found in a shoebox in the basement. They also say they found more scales, packaging materials, cutting equipment and cash inside the home. Investigators say two juveniles also lived inside the home and could access the illegal weapon.
Vass was arraigned the next morning on multiple charges including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
A second defendant, 20-year-old Jariel Cobb, Jr. of Buffalo, was also arraigned Saturday.
Prosecutors say he lived in the upper apartment on Moselle Street that was searched. They say Cobb refused to cooperate while being questioned and would not provide his true identity.
Investigators also say they found three dogs who had urinated and defecated throughout the apartment, without access to food or water. The dogs have been turned over to Buffalo Animal Control.
"We have a lot of work to do," Garcia said regarding illegal drugs coming into Western New York. "But as law enforcement goes, I can tell you this... We will continue fighting. This is about professional law enforcement. This is about partnerships, and this is about protecting our public."
