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 Appl...