A federal grand jury has issued a superseding indictment charging James Jackson, 39, and Alicia Osar, 37, both from Jamestown, New York, with narcotics conspiracy. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and could result in a life sentence. Additionally, Jackson faces a charge for maintaining a premises involved in drug activity.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti explained that the indictment alleges Jackson and Osar conspired with Ernest W. Brown, Joseph S. Zaso, and others to sell fentanyl between 2018 and February 2025. The indictment also accuses Jackson of using a residence on Bush Street in Jamestown between 2019 and 2021 to manufacture and distribute heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Jackson is currently detained while Osar has been released under certain conditions. Brown and Zaso have previously been convicted in connection with this case and are awaiting sentencing.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159. According to the release: “The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.” The Buffalo/Rochester branch includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies: Jamestown Police Department led by Acting Chief Scott D. Forster; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), overseen by Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam of the New York Field Division; as well as Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff James Quattrone.
Authorities emphasize that an indictment is only an accusation at this stage; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
