BUFFALO — A Falls man will spend almost three years in federal prison for his conviction on a charge of selling cocaine in the city.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo sentenced Ronald Rowles, 37, of the Falls, to 33 months of incarceration for his conviction on a charge of distribution of cocaine. Rowles was charged after an investigation into Cataract City drug dealing by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Niagara County Drug Task Force (NCDTF).
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said between December 2016 and June 2019, Rowles sold cocaine in and around the town and village of Lewiston.
In January 2019, federal and local law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Rowles residence in the Falls and seized approximately 59 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Six months later, in June 2019, while Rowles was on pre-trial release, prosecutors said he sold approximately an ounce of cocaine to a confidential informant who was working with drug investigators.