Buffalo Man Sentenced for Leading a Prescription Drug Ring

BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael McCall, 60, of Buffalo, N.Y., who was convicted of conspiring to distribute OxyContin pills, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to nine years in prison.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. McCabe, who handled the case, McCall maintained a continuing criminal enterprise as the organizer and manager of a large-scale distribution network for OxyContin in the City of Buffalo in 2009 and 2010. During this time, McCall coordinated the supply of OxyContin by organizing a series of individuals who obtained prescriptions from local physicians and then sold the tablets to the defendant. McCall often times directed these individuals to obtain OxyContin tablets, and the defendant then met them at a particular time and place to pick up the tablets. McCall also instructed individuals about how to approach their physicians to obtain the OxyContin prescriptions. After successfully obtaining OxyContin tablets from the members of his drug-trafficking organization, McCall then supplied the tablets to distributors for further resale, particularly in the East Eagle and Strauss Street areas in Buffalo.

McCall was arrested along with 34 others on July 14, 2010. A total of 33 defendants have been convicted.

"This case removed a significant supply of illegal prescription drugs from the streets of our community," said U.S. Attorney Hochul. "But it also removed a significant number of defendants who defrauded medical personnel to get the pills and then sold the tablets in our neighborhoods. Our Office has shined the spotlight on this illegal activity over the last few years. Working with our law enforcement partners at all levels, we will not only continue to prosecute those attempt similar actions but we will also continue toeducate the public about the dangers of prescription drugs when used without the guidance of a medical professional."

U.S. Attorney Hochul further stated "Together with our law enforcement partners, our Office used numerous tools to completely dismantle this organization including the federal drug kingpin law. The public will also recall that this case was first brought just as the dangers of prescription pill abuse was just becoming known."

"From the suburbs to the city, the arrest of Michael McCall shut down a drug organization supplying thousands of illegally diverted pain medications to New Yorkers, especially in the East Eagle and Strauss Street locale," state DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian R. Crowell. "Operated like a ponzi business, each level of operations had a function to falsify pain to doctors in order to get prescriptions for pain medication ultimately sold to McCall who distributed it throughout our community feeding the primary drug threat to America, opiate and heroin abuse. As a reminder of the dangers of abusing pain medication, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, accidental overdose deaths caused by opiates surpass deaths resulting from automobile accidents."

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Brian R. Crowell, New York Field Division, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Christopher Cummings, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack, the West Seneca Police Department, under the
direction of Chief Edward Gehen, and the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Gill.