(WNY News Now) – A Jamestown resident will serve 70 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation disrupted by a federal drug task force.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Wednesday that Richard S. Dean, 49, of Jamestown, has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara handed down the sentence after Dean pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges stemming from an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, Dean acted as a drug trafficking associate of co-defendant Douglas Beardsley. Over the course of the conspiracy, Dean regularly visited Beardsley’s properties on Linden and Forest Avenues in Jamestown to collect quantities of methamphetamine and heroin for resale. In some instances, Beardsley “fronted” the drugs to Dean, allowing him to sell the substances before payment. Authorities reported that the pair often communicated about their dealings through Facebook.
On January 6, 2019, local officers observed Dean behaving suspiciously before fleeing. He was apprehended shortly after on an outstanding warrant. A search conducted at the Jamestown City Jail revealed methamphetamine, heroin, plastic baggies, a digital scale, and Dimethyl Sulfone — a common meth cutting agent — in Dean’s possession.
Dean previously pleaded guilty in Chautauqua County Court to fifth-degree criminal possession and sale of a controlled substance in connection to the 2019 arrest.
His co-conspirator, Douglas Beardsley, was earlier sentenced to 176 months in federal prison.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, a nationwide initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks. OCDETF investigations utilize a collaborative approach involving federal, state, and local agencies.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Jamestown Police Department.
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