(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. – A federal grand jury has indicted Theodore E. Coffie, 54, of Olean, NY, on a narcotics conspiracy charge, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life if convicted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti stated that between July 2016 and March 2021, Coffie, A.K.A. “Teddy Tickles”, conspired with Joseph S. Zaso and others to distribute heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana in the Olean area. Zaso has already been convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
Coffie was arraigned 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 (OCDETF) operation, which targets high-level criminal organizations using a multi-agency, intelligence-driven approach. The investigation was conducted by the Jamestown Police Department, led by Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Field Division, under Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino.
An indictment is only an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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