BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Eriel Rivera, 45, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin before U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years and a $2,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that on July 8 and July 22, 2017, the defendant sold a quantity of cocaine to a confidential source working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Rivera was arrested on Sept. 29, 2017, in a coffee shop in Niagara Falls, NY. At the time, the defendant was in possession of $1,885 in cash and a quantity of suspected heroin.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24, 2018, before Judge Vilardo.
