ALBANY, N.Y. — A 53-year-old man from Troy, New York, has been indicted on marijuana trafficking and firearm charges, federal authorities announced on Wednesday. Omjasisa Kentu Felder was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Albany and ordered detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, Felder is accused of possessing a 9mm handgun in furtherance of drug trafficking, possessing the firearm as a convicted felon, and conspiring to distribute marijuana from 2021 through November 2022. Felder also allegedly possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute in November 2022.
If convicted, Felder faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, up to 15 years for possession of a firearm by a felon, and up to five years for each marijuana trafficking count. He also faces potential fines of up to $250,000 per count and a term of supervised release ranging from two years to life.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, a multi-agency initiative aimed at dismantling high-level drug trafficking and criminal organizations. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and the Troy Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.