United States Drug Enforcement Administration

James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA’s New York Division, and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. and New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II announced one arrest and the seizure of approximately 30 kilograms of suspected cocaine hidden in a car on Grand Island, New York.

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Hunt stated, “The arrest of Edgar Jimenez-Rodriguez is an example of how surveillance and great police work can lead to taking 30 kilograms of cocaine off of the streets of Erie County, New York. I commend this collaborative law enforcement effort and thank all of those involved for stemming the tide of cocaine and millions of dollars of drug proceeds into our communities.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on July 19, 2018, at approximately 6:15 p.m., law enforcement officers were on surveillance in the vicinity White Haven and Baseline Roads on Grand Island, NY. At approximately 7:25 p.m., officers surveilled a car hauler, which contained several newer-looking Toyota vehicles, pull into the back parking lot of a Toyota car dealership on Alvin Road on Grand Island. The car hauler was also carrying an older looking, black SUV later identified as a black Mercury Mariner bearing a Florida registration. Officers deemed this to be suspicious since Toyota does not manufacture or sell Mercury vehicles, and there was no Mercury dealer in the vicinity of the Toyota car dealership.

Shortly thereafter, officers observed the defendant, driving a gray Honda Accord, enter the Toyota car dealership parking lot. The Honda Accord drove up to the car hauler while two men began to unload cars from the hauler. Jimenez-Rodriguez exited the vehicle for a time and watched as the vehicles were unloaded from the car hauler. Shortly after the black Mercury Mariner was unloaded, Jimenez-Rodriguez got into the car and left the parking lot.

At approximately 8:13 p.m., officers stopped the vehicle driven by the defendant. As officers performed a security sweep, they noticed clear plastic wrapping consistent with that of narcotics concealed underneath the rear cargo area of the black Mercury Mariner. A drug-detecting K-9 alerted to the rear cargo area. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers recovered approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine.

“Illicit drugs ruin lives,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “The over 65 pounds of cocaine seized in this case had the potential to cause a great deal of misery and ruin a number of lives in our community. Fortunately, we were spared that fate by the dedicated federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, who work tirelessly each day to protect our community from the harm caused by illicit substances. My Office will continue to support those efforts by charging, to the full extent of the law, those offenders who seek to poison our community and ruin lives through the unlawful distribution of drugs.”

New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, “This case speaks to the tremendous interagency coordination and cooperation necessary to get the seized cocaine off of our streets. These illegal drugs perpetuate a cycle of addiction and criminal behavior which in turn threatens the safety and security of our neighborhoods. I want to thank our members and law enforcement partners for their tenacious dedication to tracking illegal drugs and intercepting them at their source before they can be distributed on our streets.”

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on July 24, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the DEA Buffalo Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division. The Buffalo RO Group consists of agents of the DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Buffalo Police Department, the Lockport Police Department the Town of Tonawanda Police Department. This investigation was also worked in coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner, Bryan DalPorto, and the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), under the direction of Lieutenant Kevin Reyes and Major Mary Clark.

The charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The Defendant:
Edgar JIMENEZ-Rodriguez
Age: 39
W.D.N.Y Docket No. 18-MJ-1113