Buffalo man pleads guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Giovanni Rosa, 32, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a fine of $5,000,000.

Between January and February 2025, Rosa conspired with others to sell fentanyl in the Buffalo area. Investigators conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Rosa between January 30 and February 27, 2025. For each of the controlled purchases, Rosa would acquire approximately an ounce of fentanyl from his source of supply.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Buffalo/Rochester comprises agents and officers from HSI, the FBI, DEA, ATF, and IRS-CI, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Fitzsimmons. The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 16, 2026, before Judge Sinatra.

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