Anthony Barnett pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Anthony Barnett, 44, of South Hempstead, L.I., pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and was scheduled for sentencing Oct. 15 by Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III.Assistant Attorney General Kevin Kane of the Organized Crime Task Force said in court that investigators were led to Barnett last summer by tapping the cell phone of David A. Phelps, 36, of Niagara Falls, the leader of the cocaine ring, who has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing as he supplies prosecutors with information on his associates."His local sources of cocaine had dried up," Kane said. "Mr. Phelps was reaching out across the state .‚.‚. trying to locate new sources of cocaine."Kane said investigators heard Phelps ask another man for Barnett's phone number. On Aug. 16, the two made contact, and Phelps left for New York City about midnight and drove overnight to Queens. In the meantime, state investigators in the Big Apple were alerted and, with help from the directions Barnett was phoning Phelps, staked out his bus.About 9 a.m., Phelps got on the bus empty-handed and got off carrying a paper bag full of cocaine. He hopped back into his car and drove back to Niagara Falls, and while en route called his customers to tell them "all was well in the world of cocaine and David Phelps," Kane told the judge.
Phelps' sense of well-being didn't last long. When he got to his girlfriend's home on 22nd Street in Niagara Falls that day, police raided the residence and seized 6.5 ounces of cocaine. Eventually, 22 people were indicted in the operation, and all but three have pleaded guilty.