BUFFALO, N.Y. — Federal and local law enforcement are now spotlighting two recent arrests of individuals tied to drug trafficking as they try to take illegal guns and drugs off the streets.
Erie County Undersheriff William Cooley says one of the men arrested is a Buffalo nightclub operator who recently told Channel 2 he was trying to make his business safer.
Triple elements of drug dealing were on display once again with seized cash, drugs, and a modified fully automatic handgun along with AK-47 and AR-15 rifles.
Police say those are the results of the arrest of 38-year-old Antonio Broadus last Friday after he was spotted by a joint surveillance team of Buffalo Police, Erie County Sheriff's deputies, and FBI agents near the Towne Garden Apartment Complex on Jefferson Avenue.
Sheriff John Garcia explained, "Knowing the cars, knowing the relatives, and so forth....It goes to show you the firepower that the drug dealers have to protect their territory."
Also, arrested on drug charges with alleged possession of a significant amount of cocaine 59-year-old Michael Ray Jackson who is identified as the operator of The Groove Nightclub.
The club was temporarily forced to close in 2020 when two people were shot outside the establishment.
When asked if the nightclub was a front for the accused drug sales Buffalo Police Investigative Services Chief Bill Macy said, "There are still investigations into that going on. So I won't comment further." They added it is possible there could be more arrests.
In a December 2023 story on nightclub safety, Michael Ray Jackson told 2 On Your Side he had converted Groove to a private social club with pre-approved screening of members to keep violent individuals away.
As Jackson put it back then, "We want to just get the people that we want to be here that represents our character and represents where we trying to go with our future directions."
But now Sheriff Garcia has identified him as part of a dangerous ongoing problem. "Here we are talking about these drug dealers peddling poison onto the streets of Buffalo and Erie County killing people at the highest rate ever."
Erie County officials held a Black Balloon event Sunday to help memorialize the 400 confirmed or suspected fatal drug overdoses from last year.
Testing will determine if deadly fentanyl was laced with the cocaine which police say the two men had in their possession
Broadus was said to be on probation with prior federal charges.
Both of these men arrested on Friday are being held at the Erie County Holding Center pending arraignment.