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Five charged with distributing drugs that caused six to die

Michael Mroziak, WBFO

Five individuals have been indicted on charges they distributed heroin and fentanyl that led directly to the overdose deaths of six individuals. Two superseding indictments were announced Friday by the US Attorney in Buffalo.

James P. Kennedy, the US Attorney for the Western District of New York, stated the indictments cap a two-year investigation covering an extensive part of the region.

"It covered all of Western New York, Niagara County, Erie County and outlying counties," Kennedy said. "It was also expansive as the sales occurred throughout our community: residential streets, city streets, parking lots of local shopping centers, virtually anywhere people could congregate."

One of the two indictments covers four individuals and 23 counts. Robert Moore, Reese Moore, Kevin Abernathy and Joshua Levine are charged with possession of heroin and fentanyl, conspiracy, and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Their alleged victims were a Lockport woman, Buffalo man and three Lancaster men.

In a second superseding indictment charges were added to an existing case against Oliver Kimmons, including one count of providing drugs which caused death.

"On January 30th, it is alleged that Mr. Kimmons distributed fentanyl which resulted in the death of an individual identified only as H.C.," Kennedy said. "Mr. Kimmons had previously been indcted on drug and sex trafficking charges. According to that previous indictment, over the course of three years Mr. Kimmons solicited young opiate-addicted women to have sex with paying customers. In exchange, Mr. Kimmons provided these victims drugs."

A disturbing part of the case, Kennedy noted, is that all of the victims who died by drugs allegedly distributed by suspect Robert Moore had been seeking treatment and were in rehabilitation for their respective addictions.

Michael Mroziak is an experienced, award-winning reporter whose career includes work in broadcast and print media. When he joined the WBFO news staff in April 2015, it was a return to both the radio station and to Horizons Plaza.
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