A Jamestown man is facing federal charges tied to drugs and being in possession of a weapon.

U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced last week that Zaid Mendoza, also known as Diamond, 44, was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who prosecuted the case, stated that on Oct. 6, 2022, Jamestown Police Officers stopped a vehicle for failing to signal. Mendoza was riding in the front passenger seat. After determining that one of the passengers had an outstanding warrant, officers searched the vehicle. A pat down of Mendoza resulted in the seizure of a bag of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine. On Dec. 7, 2022, the Jamestown Police Department Metro Drug Task Force and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office County Drug Task Force, executed a search warrant at 232 W. Main St. in the town of Ellicott, where Mendoza either resided or had a connection. Investigators seized $1,800 in cash, 36 grams of fentanyl, a semi-automatic pistol, approximately 15 grams of methamphetamine, approximately five grams of fentanyl, cell phones and drug paraphernalia. Mendoza, who was taken into custody at the scene, had another 36 grams of fentanyl on his person. Subsequent investigation determined that the firearm seized during the search warrant was previously reported stolen.

In 2014, Mendoza was convicted of a felony in Chautauqua County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division.