BUFFALO — A federal grand jury has indicted a 54-year-old Olean man on narcotics conspiracy charges that carry a minimum 10-year prison sentence, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today.
Theodore E. Coffie faces charges of conspiring to sell heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana in the Olean area between July 2016 and March 2021.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, said Coffie worked with Joseph S. Zaso and others in the drug distribution operation.
Zaso was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
Coffie was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held pending a detention hearing.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation, which targets high-level criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The indictment resulted from an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division.
The charges against Coffie are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
