A Texas man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracy that investigators say included a major drug seizure in Ontario County.
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that 26-year-old Ian Dyer pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Federal prosecutors said Dyer was involved in a drug trafficking operation that transported cocaine from Texas to multiple locations across the country, including Buffalo, between April 2023 and February 2025.
Authorities said Dyer primarily worked as a courier, transporting large quantities of cocaine and returning bulk cash proceeds to Texas.
As part of the investigation, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office seized 9.3 kilograms of cocaine and more than 3.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine during a traffic stop involving one of Dyer’s co-conspirators on May 7, 2024.
Investigators said the organization typically transported about 10 kilograms of cocaine at a time to Buffalo, along with additional quantities destined for other locations.
The investigation also included a 2023 traffic stop in Ohio that led to the seizure of nearly 19 kilograms of cocaine and a separate seizure of $100,000 in cash by Tennessee authorities, some of which investigators said originated in Buffalo.
Dyer was arrested in April along with six other defendants. Federal prosecutors said he is the third defendant in the case to be convicted.
The case was investigated as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which targets drug cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and trafficking networks operating in the United States.
