Buffalo Man Arrested, Charged With Drug and Gun Charges
BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Javonta Hill, 19, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activities. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on February 22, 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, together with the Buffalo Police Department, executed a search warrant at the defendant’s Dakota Street residence. Agents and officers knocked and announced their presence, and while waiting for an answer at the door, an individual could be heard running within the second-floor apartment. Agents and officers entered the location and Hill was detained in the kitchen as he was attempting to make a phone call. During the search, 23 bags of suspected marijuana, a gram of suspected cocaine, approximately $12,860 in cash, and a loaded 9mm pistol were recovered. Eleven more bags of suspected marijuana were recovered from the defendant’s vehicle. Between April 26, 2020, and February 14, 2021, the defendant posted numerous videos displaying what appeared to be semi automatic handguns, revolvers, and rifles to his social media accounts. In many of those videos, Hill is depicted displaying the suspected firearms.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belongia.
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.
