Buffalo man arrested on drug and gun charges

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Robert Green, 34, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute a methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 23, 2024, Green was observed by law enforcement in a rental vehicle on Central Avenue in Salamanca, NY, engaged in what appeared to be drug distribution. Deputies from the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office witnessed Green commit multiple traffic infractions and initiated a traffic stop, and as they approached, they observed Green with glassy and bloodshot eyes. There was also a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle. After deputies conducted standardized field sobriety tests, Green ran on foot, but was taken into custody a few blocks away. During a search of the area where Green ran, deputies recovered a bag full of several smaller bags of suspected methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and hydrocodone.

On April 5, 2024, Cheektowaga Police responded to a call for service at a Kensington Avenue apartment building. Inside one apartment, they recovered five loaded handguns and a rifle, as well as evidence indicative of a narcotics processing and packaging operation. Detectives seized numerous bags of narcotics packaged in varying weights, including suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, and crack cocaine. Green’s DNA was found on at least one of the firearms. In 2007 and 2015, Green was convicted of felonies in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Green made an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was held pending a detention hearing on August 20, 2024.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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