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A Syracuse man, Ricardo Lane, has been sentenced to over eight years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Lane, aged 43, was involved in selling drugs in Onondaga County from April 2021 to July 2022. He used the U.S. Postal Service to ship over 24 pounds of narcotics from Puerto Rico to the area.
Lane had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute cocaine. He also has a past federal conviction from 2007 for a similar drug conspiracy. The sentencing, handed down by Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, includes a five-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence.
The case was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which targets top-level criminal organizations through collaboration among multiple law enforcement agencies. The investigation involved the DEA, IRS-CI, HSI, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Syracuse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey Brown and Michael Gadarian prosecuted the case.
The operation highlights the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the region. Lane's extensive criminal history and his involvement in this conspiracy underscore the challenges law enforcement faces in tackling drug distribution networks.