Head of Oneida County drug ring sentenced

First member of conspiracy to be sentenced

SYRACUSE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — A Utica man at the head of a Oneida County fentanyl ring found out his fate in federal court on Thursday, March 7.

48-year-old Ivan Rodriguez Sr. was sentenced on Thursday to 121 months — or ten years and one month — in federal prison for conspiring to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute, as well as distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl and money laundering.

After a lengthy investigation by multiple police departments, sheriff’s departments, district attorney’s offices, and several federal agencies, Rodriguez Sr. was identified as the head of a drug trafficking organization that operated in and around Oneida County between May 2020 and October 2021.

In September 2021, Rodriguez and his son, Ivan Jr., arranged for a co-conspirator, Eric Ares, to drive to a source of fentanyl in New York City. The supply was meant to be redistributed in the Utica area. Law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle on the way back to Utica and seized three kilograms of fentanyl from a speaker inside Ares’ rental car.

Further investigation found that Rodriguez Sr. also provided cash to a straw purchaser to buy cars, including a BMW.

Rodriguez Jr.’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, May 2. Ares’ sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, April 11.

The case was investigated by the following entities:

• US Drug Enforcement Administration
• Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations Unit
• US Department of Homeland Security, Investigations Unit
• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Unit
• New York Army National Guard, Counter Drug Program,
• the New York State Police
• Oneida and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Offices,
• District attorney’s offices of Oneida and Onondaga County
• Police departments of Utica, Syracuse, Rome, Yorkville, and Whitesboro.