(WNY News Now) A guy connected to gang activities in Niagara Falls faces federal jail time for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute drugs, which included selling fentanyl close to public housing.
Buffalo, New York. According to U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross, 27-year-old Michael Pryor of Niagara Falls, New York, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his involvement in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and the selling of fentanyl close to public housing.
As a member of the Crips gang, Pryor entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, which included dealings within 1,000 feet of the Anthony Spallina Towers, a Niagara Falls public housing complex. Pryor worked with fellow defendants Shawn Pryor and Cameron Lee, who were also connected to the group, to distribute drugs between June and October 2022.
According to the investigation, the defendants helped each other out with their drug businesses by providing fentanyl and cocaine as needed to satisfy consumer demand. The culmination of Pryor’s actions was the sale of fentanyl to an undercover police officer close to Spallina Towers on October 7, 2022. During the same time period, more cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl were sold to informants and undercover agents.
The conspiracy went beyond the sale of drugs. On Ashland Avenue in Niagara Falls, on October 16, 2022, Pryor, Shawn Pryor, and another associate attacked a competitor dealer and forced the victim inside a convenience store. The victim had a wrist fracture and a hand laceration, among other injuries that needed medical attention.
Due to their involvement in the case, Shawn Pryor and Cameron Lee have already been found guilty.
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) were involved in this case. OCDETF uses a coordinated, intelligence-driven strategy that involves several law enforcement agencies to target high-level criminal groups.
The Niagara Falls Police Department, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force spearheaded the investigation.