Terence Butler, a 36-year-old resident of Schenectady, New York, has been sentenced to 96 months in prison for his involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Michael McCarthy, Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Butler confessed to orchestrating operations where individuals were directed to meet with a drug distributor in Beverly Hills, California, to acquire drugs that were then shipped back to Schenectady. On January 4, 2023, authorities intercepted a package containing 1.65 kilograms of cocaine sent by Butler from California to Schenectady. Later on August 3, 2023, another package bound for Schenectady was seized containing approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills and 5,000 methamphetamine pills. Additionally, Butler admitted to having two individuals transfer $35,000 in drug proceeds back to his supplier over three weeks between December 2022 and January 2023.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III commented on the case: “Terence Butler brought a significant amount of lethal drugs into the Capital District. Now he will be serving a significant amount of prison time for his crimes. Every day, with our law enforcement partners, we work to intercept drugs bound for the Northern District of New York and to investigate and prosecute those who would seek to bring this poison into our communities.”
Michael McCarthy added: “Terence Butler orchestrated a bold and dangerous operation, trafficking highly lethal drugs including fentanyl into the northeast from across the nation. He has now been held accountable for his reckless disregard for public safety."
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a four-year term of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of $77,427 in drug proceeds.
The investigation was conducted by HSI with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a multi-agency approach.
