BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A Buffalo man accused of dealing drugs that led to two deaths in Erie County faces federal charges, announced Monday.
Officials say Aaron McDuffie, 22, sold heroin that led to fatal overdoses in Cheektowaga in June 2015 and West Seneca in Nov. 2016.
Key to bringing charges: cooperation among agencies, which, in part, helped with testing for butyryl fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl McDuffie is charged with possessing and distributing.
The Cheektowaga victim's phone helped identify McDuffie as the person who sold him drugs the night he died. Investigators also say McDuffie told another customer he gave the man a potent batch and warned him not to use as much.
Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. says with Erie County averaging more than one death per day to opioid overdoses, federal officials have started asking local authorities to treat OD scenes as homicide cases.
"Obviously, the mentality is to do whatever we can to try and save the person's life," Kennedy said. "But if that's not possible, to at least take evidence to try and process that, if not as a homicide scene, then as an attempted homicide scene."
McDuffie is charged with intent to distribute and distributing heroin, fentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, and furanyl fentanyl, as well as possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. He was arraigned Monday and remains in custody, where he's been since shortly after the West Seneca death in November.
If found guilty of the drug charges, he faces a minimum of 20 years in prison. The firearm charges comes with a consecutive term of five years behind bars.