Eighth Loiza Boys Gang Associate Sentenced To 17 And ½ Years In Prison On Drug Charge

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Oneil Quinones, 32, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin and cocaine, was sentenced to 210 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the sentencing, stated that the defendant was an associate of a gang known as the Loiza Boys, which has been distributing heroin and cocaine on Buffalo’s West Side since at least 2006.

The defendant was charged in 2013 along with nine co-conspirators following a long-term investigation that involved the interception of telephone calls of various defendants and the use of undercover drug purchases from some of those charged. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized over 450 grams of heroin, three firearms, and over $70,000 in U.S. currency.

Nine of the 10 defendants have been convicted. The remaining defendant, Josbel Garcia, is scheduled to go to trial on November 14, 2017. 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.

Today’s sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen.