Eric Rivera, 39, of Niagara Falls, was sentenced on Mar. 30 to serve 70 months in prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and being a felon in possession of ammunition. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced the sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession in the region.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine, the charges stem from a March 14, 2024 incident when Niagara Falls Police executed a search warrant at an Ontario Avenue residence. During the operation, investigators observed Rivera throwing a shopping bag over a fence before fleeing into an abandoned garage next door with the bag and later exiting without it while attempting to hide from law enforcement vehicles. Authorities quickly apprehended Rivera and used a narcotics detection K-9 dog that alerted them to drugs inside the garage where they found the discarded bag.
Inside the bag, investigators seized approximately 18 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, another eight grams of cocaine, about 642 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, roughly 1,511 grams of fentanyl alone, as well as drug paraphernalia, a firearm with magazines and ammunition.
Rivera had previously been convicted in March 2007 in Erie County Court for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the fifth degree and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
The investigation was conducted by the Niagara Falls Police Department under Superintendent Nicholas Ligammari’s direction along with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led by Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo.
