BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Peter Viera, 23, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to import methylone, a Schedule I controlled substance, was sentenced to 70 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who handled the case, stated that between Dec. 1, 2011, and May 22, 2013, the defendant ordered approximately $60,000 worth of methylone from China as part of the conspiracy to import and sell methylone in Western New York. On May 31, 2013, Viera was parked in a car across from the LaSalle Post Office in Niagara Falls, N.Y. observing a co-conspirator pick up a package from the Post Office, which had been sent from China. Unbeknownst to Viera and his co-conspirators -- the package was intercepted two days prior by U.S. Postal inspectors and found to contain approximately one kilogram of methylone.
Following his arrest, Viera fled to Tijuana while his case was pending and was gone for about seven months before until he was taken back into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Ysidro, CA and transported back to the Western District of New York.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge, Shelly A. Binkowski.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
