SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Mario Leslie, age 32, of Syracuse, was sentenced yesterday to serve 10 years in federal prison for his convictions for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

As part of his previous guilty plea, Leslie admitted that on February 6, 2024, he possessed over 151 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, inside his home and his vehicles, all of which were in Syracuse, New York. Leslie intended to distribute the fentanyl to others. Leslie also admitted that on that same date he knowingly possessed a loaded handgun in a secret compartment in his vehicle that he used to protect his drugs and drug proceeds as well as over 100 rounds of ammunition which were found in his home and vehicles.

United States District Judge David N. Hurd also yesterday sentenced Leslie to serve a 4-year term of post-release supervision and ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment.

This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, the Syracuse Police Department (SPD), and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.