(WNY News Now) – A 45-year-old Indian national living in Alabama has been sentenced to time served for his role as a re-shipper in an international controlled-substance trafficking operation, federal prosecutors said.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Leeladhar H. Tandel, 45, was sentenced to approximately 14 months in federal custody after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara imposed the sentence. Tandel was then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Tandel participated in a drug trafficking operation between July 2024 and March 2025 that distributed pharmaceuticals through multiple websites.

The operation involved Tapentadol, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Carisoprodol and Zolpidem. Investigators said the organization used multiple websites and domain names to receive orders and arrange shipments to customers across the United States.

Bulk shipments were reportedly sent internationally to U.S.-based re-shippers. Those individuals then forwarded smaller packages to customers and were paid for each shipment.

Tandel was identified as a smaller re-shipper operating in the Mobile, Alabama, area.

In June 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Buffalo District Office conducted an undercover purchase of 60 Zolpidem pills for $489.60 through one of the websites, according to prosecutors.

In May 2025, investigators recovered 40 packages that had originated in Summerdale, Alabama, and had previously been mailed by Tandel. The packages contained suspected controlled substances, including:

• 1,620 suspected Tramadol pills
• 2,100 suspected Zolpidem pills
• 2,100 suspected Alprazolam pills
• 1,080 suspected Tapentadol pills

Federal officials said package labels indicated customers were located throughout the United States.

The investigation was conducted through the Homeland Security Task Force, a multi-agency initiative involving federal law enforcement agencies.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti. The investigation was led by the DEA, with assistance from offices in New York, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama.