Queens Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Federal Prison for Cocaine Trafficking in Ulster County

A New York City man was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for his role as a supplier in a cocaine trafficking network that federal authorities say distributed significant quantities of drugs in Ulster County. Cecilio Wareham, 48, of Queens, New York, appeared before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in May 2026 and was ordered to serve 63 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence stems from his conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Source note: This article is based on a public release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Sentence Handed Down in Federal Court

On May 11, 2026, Judge D’Agostino imposed a 63-month prison term on Wareham. That sentence, commonly referred to as five years and three months, will be followed by three years of supervised release, a period during which he will be subject to federal monitoring and restrictions after leaving prison. Sentencing in the federal system takes into account advisory guidelines, the nature of the offense, and any acceptance of responsibility, such as a guilty plea. The court’s decision reflects the seriousness of the offense while also considering Wareham’s admission of guilt.

According to federal prosecutors, Wareham had pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Under federal law, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance does not require that a defendant personally handled the drugs in every instance; it can mean they agreed with others to commit the crime and took actions to further that agreement. In this case, Wareham’s role was that of a supplier, feeding cocaine into a network that moved it from New York City to Ulster County for redistribution.

After serving 63 months, Wareham will transition to three years of supervised release. Violating the terms of supervised release can result in a return to prison. This post-incarceration oversight is standard in federal drug cases and serves as both a compliance mechanism and a chance for structured reentry into the community.

The Guilty Plea and Cocaine Supply

What the federal announcement makes clear is that Wareham admitted to supplying his co-conspirator, Greg Tejada, with quantities of cocaine for further distribution. In October 2024, law enforcement seized more than 2 kilograms of cocaine from Tejada, a significant seizure by any measure. Two kilograms of cocaine—about 4.4 pounds—represents a wholesale quantity far beyond personal use and points to an intent to break the drug down into smaller amounts for sale on the street.

By pleading guilty, Wareham accepted responsibility for his part in the conspiracy. Prosecutors typically use evidence seized during search warrants, surveillance, and witness testimony to build a case. The fact that a seizure of that size occurred in October 2024, but Wareham was sentenced only in May 2026, suggests a careful and methodical investigation that allowed authorities to connect multiple individuals before moving forward with charges.

The cocaine Wareham supplied was destined for Ulster County, particularly the Kingston area, according to the government’s description of the case. When cocaine is moved from a supplier to a local distributor, it can be sold as powder cocaine or converted into crack cocaine—also referred to as cocaine base—for sale in smaller, more affordable units. This conversion often increases the potential for violence and public health harm because crack cocaine is associated with more frequent use and a higher risk of addiction and related crime.

The Broader Drug Trafficking Indictment

Wareham’s sentencing is the first resolution in a larger case that was made public in April 2025, when a federal grand jury returned indictments against ten defendants—including Wareham—for their alleged roles in drug trafficking organizations operating in and around Kingston, New York, and elsewhere in Ulster County. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, these organizations are accused of distributing more than 11 kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of grams of cocaine base over an unspecified period.

Through searches and enforcement actions, law enforcement seized more than five kilograms of cocaine and 270 grams of cocaine base during the investigation. Seized drugs are physical evidence that can be weighed, tested, and used in court, and the quantities described here are typical of multi-defendant conspiracy cases that involve both wholesale suppliers and street-level dealers.

The indictments name several other individuals: Greg Tejada, Damon Dunn, Raymond Robinson, Kristine Scibelli, Xavier Patterson, Richard Johnson, and Aidan White, among others. They face charges such as conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute. It is important to note that these charges are accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Wareham, by contrast, chose to plead guilty, thereby resolving his case prior to trial.

The law assigns different potential penalties depending on the quantity of drugs involved and the defendant’s criminal history. Because the case involves multiple defendants and various charges, sentences may differ significantly from one person to another. Wareham’s 63-month sentence does not necessarily predict the outcome for the remaining defendants.

Law Enforcement Collaboration and the URGENT Task Force

The investigation was a joint effort involving Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office through the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit. Such interagency cooperation is common in drug trafficking cases because no single agency has all the resources or jurisdiction to tackle a network that spans New York City and upstate counties.

URGENT, in particular, is a task force led by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office that focuses on gangs, drugs, and associated violent crime. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III noted the strong collaboration between local and federal partners, stating that the operation removed deadly drugs from the streets. While government attorneys often use forceful language—“poisoning our streets” and “deadly drugs”—the intent is to underscore the public health danger posed by cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking. The government’s framing reflects the policy priorities of the initiative under which the prosecutions were brought.

HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso described the sentence as the culmination of a long-term effort, adding that law enforcement will continue to target the pipelines and groups that profit from addiction. Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa emphasized that removing the threat of narcotics trafficking is a primary directive of URGENT and that illegal drug use often leads to other serious crimes in the community. These statements, while part of a press announcement, provide context for why agencies invest months or years in building these complex cases.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul DerOhannesian and Douglas Collyer. In the federal system, AUSAs handle everything from presenting evidence to a grand jury to negotiating plea agreements and arguing sentencing positions. Having two prosecutors assigned often signals a complex, document-intensive case with multiple defendants.

The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Its Role

The U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that these prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established by Executive Order 14159, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership aimed at dismantling criminal cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and trafficking networks operating within the United States and internationally. By design, it brings together agencies such as HSI, the FBI, and local law enforcement to focus resources on organizations that are often involved in drug trafficking as well as other crimes like human smuggling.

While the underlying executive order and the use of terms like “invasion” are political in nature, the practical effect on drug investigations is an emphasis on aggressive prosecution and interagency cooperation. The case against Wareham and his co-defendants falls under that umbrella, which explains the multi-agency involvement and the public communication of the sentencing. The HSTF also places special emphasis on crimes involving children and the removal of violent criminal aliens from the country, though those aspects do not appear directly related to this specific case based on the available information.

What the Case Shows About Drug Trafficking Networks

The Wareham case illustrates a common pattern in federal drug prosecutions: a New York City-based supplier providing wholesale quantities of cocaine to upstate distributors who then sell the drug in smaller communities. Kingston, the seat of Ulster County, is about 90 miles north of New York City—close enough for drug couriers to make trips but far enough that local law enforcement often relies on federal partners for intelligence and resources.

When a supplier sells cocaine to a distributor like Tejada, the distributor breaks the kilogram packages into ounce or gram quantities for street-level dealers. The markup at each stage creates a profit chain that incentivizes continued illegal activity. Law enforcement aims to disrupt that chain at multiple levels: from the source to the mid-level redistributor to the street dealer. In this case, Wareham represented a key source link; his guilty plea and sentencing remove a substantial supply point from the network.

The seizure of more than 2 kilograms from Tejada, and the overall seizure of over 5 kilograms across the investigation, suggest a well-established operation. Such quantities mean that the organization had the financial capacity to purchase drugs in bulk and the distribution network to move them quickly. Federal authorities often use undercover operations, controlled buys, and wiretaps to gather the evidence needed to connect the dots between a supplier in Queens and dealers in Ulster County. The fact that the investigation yielded indictments against ten individuals indicates that authorities were able to map out the organization’s hierarchy and roles before making arrests.

Cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking also implicates other crimes, as Sheriff Figueroa noted. Property crime, violence, and public disorder frequently accompany open-air drug markets. By targeting the supply side, law enforcement hopes to reduce not only drug availability but also the secondary crimes that burden the criminal justice system and community services. However, drug enforcement policy remains a subject of debate, and some advocates argue that supply-side enforcement alone cannot address the root causes of addiction. From a public safety perspective, the government’s action in this case is a clear statement that large-scale trafficking will be met with significant prison time.

What Remains Unclear

As with many federal cases at this stage, there are details that the public does not yet know. Law enforcement typically does not release detailed information about ongoing prosecutions to avoid compromising future trials or investigations. For the remaining nine defendants, trial dates have not been publicly disclosed, nor have plea negotiations been confirmed. It is unknown if any of them will cooperate with the government or if their cases will proceed to jury trials.

The exact total amount of cocaine that Wareham personally supplied is also unclear. While he admitted to the conspiracy and to the 2-kilogram seizure tied to Tejada, the broader indictment references over 11 kilograms distributed by the organizations. It is not publicly stated what portion of that total is attributable to Wareham versus other defendants. Sentencing judges often consider a defendant’s relevant conduct—not just the exact quantity they personally handled—but the public release does not specify the drug weight attributed to Wareham for sentencing purposes.

The role of the HSTF initiative in this case also raises questions about how future drug prosecutions may be prioritized and whether the initiative alters charging or sentencing practices. While the U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted the HSTF connection, it is unclear whether similar cases in the past would have been handled differently. These open questions may become clearer as the remaining cases move through the court system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Cecilio Wareham convicted of?

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. As a result, he was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

How much cocaine was involved in his case?

According to the government, Wareham admitted to supplying cocaine to Greg Tejada, including more than 2 kilograms that were seized from Tejada in October 2024. The broader trafficking network was accused of distributing over 11 kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of grams of cocaine base.

Are the other defendants still facing charges?

Yes. The indictments name nine other individuals, all of whom are presumed innocent. Their cases are still moving through the federal court system, and no trial dates have been publicly announced at this time.

Why does this case matter for Ulster County?

Ulster County officials say drug trafficking brings not only narcotics but also related crime into communities. The case shows federal and local agencies working together to take down a network that moved significant quantities of cocaine into the Kingston area. It is part of a broader effort to reduce the supply of illegal drugs and the harm they cause.

Sources

• Federal Bureau of Investigation news release
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York release

This article is based on public information released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has been independently rewritten, summarized, and contextualized by Shadab Chow News. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FBI, the Department of Justice, any court, or any government agency. It may be updated as more confirmed information becomes available.