California Man Pleads Guilty In NY To Cocaine Ring Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Federal authorities say a California man has admitted to being part of a drug-trafficking ring that sold millions of dollars' worth of cocaine in Buffalo and other U.S. cities.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says 27-year-old Manuel Lua Guizar pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Buffalo to drug conspiracy and money laundering charges.

Prosecutors say Guizar was part of a Los Angeles area-based nationwide cocaine-trafficking ring with ties to a Mexican drug cartel. Official say he made more than 40 deposits of just under $10,000 at Buffalo area banks.

He faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine when he's sentenced in December.

A local man, 37-year-old Bryant Hudson of Tonawanda, was convicted of structuring the transactions and was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.