BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Brennen Bryant, Jr., 25, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute butyryl fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on Sept. 26, 2017, Orchard Park Police detectives recovered a cellular telephone from a deceased individual believed to have died of an overdose. While examining the contents of the victim's phone, detectives discovered text messages between the victim and a telephone number linked to the defendant. Those text messages involved the purchase of heroin.
Between Nov. 1, 2017, and December 5, 2017, law enforcement officers conducted six undercover heroin purchases from Bryant.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and is being detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Orchard Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Pacholec; the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), under the direction of Major David Krause, and Lieutenant Kevin Reyes; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
