(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. – A federal grand jury has indicted 48-year-old Joseph Thayer of Jamestown, NY, for his involvement in a drug conspiracy. The indictment charges Thayer with narcotics conspiracy, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and could result in a maximum sentence of life.
Thayer, alongside co-defendants Joseph S. Zaso, Andres Pizzaro Campos, Max Pizzaro Campos, Cindy Frank, Edward Leeper, and Jaquez L. Thomas, is accused of conspiring to sell heroin and fentanyl in the Jamestown area between 2018 and May 2022. Zaso, a key figure in the operation, has already been convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation, part of a broader nationwide initiative called Operation Take Back America, was led by the Jamestown Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo confirmed the indictment and emphasized the ongoing commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks in the region.
Thayer was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is currently being detained.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation was conducted under the leadership of Chief Timothy Jackson of the Jamestown Police Department, Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the DEA, and Sheriff James Quattrone of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.
It is important to note that the charges against Thayer are only accusations at this stage. As with any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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