The last of 47 people charged and convicted in a total of 177 crimes for their alleged roles as part of two major drug trafficking networks in the Finger Lakes region has been sentenced, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Michael Danzey, a Sodus man described by the Attorney General’s Office as among the leaders of the trafficking operations, was sentenced Sept. 19 in Wayne County Court to 25 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on drug and assault charges, James said in a statement Sept. 22.
The convictions were the result of a joint investigation between Office of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
“Deadly opioids sold by sophisticated drug trafficking networks are tearing communities apart throughout our state,” James stated. “This investigation successfully took down major drug trafficking networks and removed millions of dollars of fentanyl and cocaine from our streets. Together with our law enforcement partners, my office successfully prosecuted the dozens of individuals who made up these dangerous trafficking operations.”
The drug trafficking networks operated in Wayne, Monroe, Cayuga, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, and Yates counties, according to James’ announcement.
An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force in June 2023 charged the defendants with 177 crimes and seized more than 10 kilograms of fentanyl and more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, with a total value of more than $9 million. Investigators also seized 19 firearms, including assault weapons and ghost guns, and more than $440,000 in cash.
Investigators alleged that Danzey and Terrance Raggs, brothers who often partnered together, sold cocaine to a network of customers throughout Wayne County. During the investigation, investigators said they also uncovered that in June 2021, Danzey attempted to murder someone he believed had stolen from him.
Raggs was sentenced to eight years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on drug and weapon charges. Other figures in this ring were accused of selling cocaine and oxycodone in Wayne, Ontario, and Monroe counties.
Arrests were also made on Avenue D in Rochester, which investigators described as a major trafficking hub that distributed drugs in the region.
Those arrested ranged in age from 24 to 76 and included a Rochester father and his three adult sons, one of whom was in a federal prison in Louisiana. According to James, they operated a cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation based out of Rochester.
Arrests were made on Avenue D in Rochester and at various locations throughout the Finger Lakes. Sentences for the 47 people charged with varying felonies ranged from multiple years of prison time to probation.
Five years ago, the roots of this investigation delved into the sources of illicit narcotics in Wayne County and quickly led to other areas of the Finger Lakes region, said Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby in a statement.
“As a result of our collective work, we have prevented countless overdose deaths that we have seen so much of, and have been able to hold accountable those who have been responsible for harming our communities with dangerous drugs and other crimes related to the drug trade,” Milby stated.
The multi-agency investigation brought together the resources of more than a dozen state, local, and federal enforcement agencies, including the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Canandaigua Police Department, Geneva Police Department, Newark Police Department, New York State Police, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Wayne County Probation Department, the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team (“GRANET”), Rochester Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“This takedown sends a clear message: drug traffickers and those who fuel the deadly fentanyl and cocaine trade have no place in our communities,” said Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter in a statement. “The Attorney General’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners are to be commended for their outstanding collaboration in bringing these dangerous individuals to justice.” Together, we remain committed to dismantling violent drug networks, removing illegal weapons from our streets, and protecting the safety and well-being of our residents. We will never relent.”
Includes reporting by Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reporter Victoria E. Freile.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Final sentencing in massive Finger Lakes drug ring: 25 years for Sodus man
