Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 30-year-old Joseph Cruz-Ocasio of Buffalo has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to a determinate sentence of 8 years in prison followed by 3 years of post-release supervision.

On four occasions between April 20, 2017 through April 27, 2017, the defendant sold heroin to an undercover officer.

On May 1, 2017, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence on Crowley Avenue in the City of Buffalo. During the search, officers found 30 envelopes of heroin in the defendant’s pocket. Investigators found a large bag of heroin, packaging materials and a scale inside the home.

Another search warrant was executed at a second residence on Argus Street in the City of Buffalo on June 28, 2017. Inside the home, investigators found a large bag of crack cocaine, a smaller bag of heroin, packaging material and a scale.

In May 2018, Cruz-Ocasio, a second felony offender, pleaded guilty to four counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. These charges were the highest in the indictment against the defendant.

“I am committed to fighting the opioid epidemic. I will continue to aggressively prosecute these heroin dealers to stop these dangerous drugs from entering our communities and destroying the lives of those who become addicted,” said DA Flynn.

DA Flynn commends the investigative work of the New York State Police and the Buffalo Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Paul J. Williams, III, Chief of the DA’s Narcotics Bureau.