Major Drug Trafficking Operation Taken Down In The Capital Region

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is announcing the take down of a major drug trafficking operation in the Capital Region.

The 376-count indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in Fulton County Court.

James says 54 members of a drug trafficking ring have been indicted for their roles in distributing heroin laced with fentanyl, power and crack cocaine and methamphetamine in Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga Albany. Rensselaer, Schenectady and Warren counties.

The Attorney General says the drugs came from New York City dealers.

“Dangerous drugs have devastated too many communities throughout our state and claimed too many lives,” said James. “As New Yorkers and Americans across the country witnessed the greatest number of drug overdose deaths in history in 2020, the defendants here were allegedly flooding our streets with the very types of drugs that caused this devastation. Today, we are putting an end to their efforts that put New Yorkers in harm’s way. My office will continue to pursue and hold accountable anyone who violates the law. I thank our partners in law enforcement for their critical support in this takedown.”

The year-long investigation, codenamed “Operation Garage Days”, led to the seizure of about two kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.5 kilos of cocaine 14 grams of heroin, four handguns and $25,000 in cash.

The investigation included covert surveillance and hundreds of hours of wiretaps over numerous phones.

The central figures in the narcotics distribution network were Brianna Nichols and Michael Kuntzsch, who often worked together to obtain and sell methamphetamine and cocaine in Fulton County.