Attorney General (AG) for New York, Letitia James, has announced that 17 people have been indicted for their roles in a massive drug trafficking network throughout Central New York. According to James, the drug network distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The drug network encompassed Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, and Tompkins counties.
The Attorney General Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) led the investigation, which resulted in the discovery of 23 pounds of fentanyl worth $625,000, the task force’s largest single seizure of fentanyl powder. Law officials also discovered about 4 pounds of cocaine for $125,000 and more than 12 pounds of meth worth $32,000.
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AG James said the 23 pounds of fentanyl discovered is enough to kill one New Yorker every 6 seconds for a year.
As part of the big probe, cash and weapons were seized. According to James, $880,000 in cash was discovered associated with drug trafficking, as well as three illegal firearms and two cars used to transport the contraband.
The indictment, announced in Onondaga County Court on Tuesday morning, charged the 17 defendants with 125 felonies.
“Traffickers who flood our communities with fentanyl and other drugs are threatening the important progress New York has made in reducing overdoses and fighting the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General James. “Thanks to the hard work of this investigation and our law enforcement partners, we took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off our streets. I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to put an end to these destructive drug trafficking rings and keep New Yorkers safe from dangerous narcotics.”
The 17 individuals charged in relation to their involvement in the drug trafficking enterprise, including multiple charges of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance (class A, B, and C felonies), and/or conspiracy to conduct those crimes, are:
- Etiem M. Berrios, 45 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY
- Ronnie R. Evanciew, 29 years old, of Taberg, NY
- Tyler J. Forshee, 30 years old, of Cortland, NY
- Joshua B. Goyette, 47 years old, of Freeville, NY
- Jaquan T. Jones, a/k/a “Flame”, 31 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY
- Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY
- Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY
- Alexander Medina, 24 years old, of Syracuse, NY
- Antonio Sanchez, 37 years old, of New Rochelle, NY
- Autumn R. Schneider, 28 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Heather R. Sharpsteen, 39 years old, of Groton, NY
- Joshua J. Stimpson, 29 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
- Zachary M. Thornhill, 36 years old, of Liverpool, NY
- Amanda L. Valenti, 41 years old, of Genoa, NY
The study took place from September 2024 until May 2025. According to AG James, the investigation found a drug trafficking organization led by Jaquan Jones, alias “Flame,” that sold fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and meth to customers throughout the CNY region.
According to AG James, Jones bought “significant” amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and meth from Antonio Sanchez and others and distributed the drugs to a broad network of dealers.
The dealers were Etiem Berrios, Ronnie Evanciew, Tyler Forshee, Joshua Goyette, Gary Jordan, Cody Lane, Nicole Lighthall, Autumn Schneider, Heather Sharpsteen, Joshua Stimpson, Zachary Thornhill, and Amanda Valenti.
The inquiry discovered that Jones would arrange the sale of the drugs via text messages and instruct his customers to meet at a common place where he would appear and sell them all at once. Codewords were also employed to describe the drugs: “soft” for cocaine, “fet” or “fetty” for fentanyl, and “ice” for meth. Jones sold drugs to his customers, who then sold them around the region. AG James claims Jones is charged with operating as a major trafficker, which carries a mandatory life term in state prison.
Investigators discovered roughly 22 pounds of fentanyl and 12 ounces of cocaine that Jones was concealing in a garage belonging to a Syracuse home. A search of Sanchez’s Onondaga County apartment resulted in the discovery of fentanyl mixed with heroin and ketamine, as well as scales, glassines, and cutting agents, according to Attorney General James.
“Joshua Stimpson, who is also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, worked in conjunction with his partner, Autumn Schneider, and others to sell the drugs they bought from Jones throughout Oneida and Madison Counties. The investigation recovered more than five ounces of fentanyl, more than two ounces of cocaine, and five pounds of methamphetamine from their home.”
According to the release.
Toby Lindfield, OAG OCTF Detective, headed the investigation, which was overseen by OCTF Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte and Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss. The OAG’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.
