A West Henrietta man accused of ferrying kilogram quantities of cocaine between Philadelphia and Rochester is being held in federal custody after a multi-agency task force unsealed charges against him and two other Rochester-area men this week. Leonardo Gaskin, 36, Rodney Stanley, 58, of Greece, and Shanimba Nelson, 52, of Irondequoit were named in federal criminal complaints describing an interstate trafficking operation that stretched from Philadelphia and the New York Tri-State area into distribution hubs in Rochester and Albany.
According to the Department of Justice, Gaskin is charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, while Stanley and Nelson face drug possession counts along with charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The complaints allege the ring relied on quick-turnaround courier trips to keep product moving, including one trip Gaskin made to Philadelphia on October 8 and 9, days before the arrests were announced.
Under federal law, the combination of drug trafficking and firearm charges filed against the three defendants carries penalties ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison up to life imprisonment, per the same federal filings. At initial detention hearings held Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen ordered Gaskin held in federal custody while Nelson and Stanley were granted conditional release pending trial.
A Task Force Built on Local and Federal Muscle
The investigation was carried out under the Homeland Security Task Force framework, combining the DEA New York Field Division and the FBI with local partners including the Rochester Police Department, the Greece Police Department, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Justice Department's announcement notes. That blend of federal reach and local policing has become a recurring feature of how agents say they are targeting the corridors feeding cocaine into Rochester and the surrounding suburbs.
In a statement to DEA New York, Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam said, “Drug trafficking organizations that believe they can move massive quantities of cocaine across state lines and turn our communities into distribution hubs are making a serious mistake.” She added that the seizure tied to the investigation — almost 30 kilograms of cocaine, roughly $159,000 in cash, and four firearms — “serves as a stark reminder that drug trafficking not only fuels addiction but also drives the violence and criminal activity that threatens the safety of our communities.”
Islam said agents are tracking the networks across the full length of the pipeline. “From New York City and Philadelphia to Rochester and Albany, the DEA and our law enforcement partners are following these criminal networks wherever they operate,” she said, vowing that “those who profit from flooding our neighborhoods with dangerous drugs will be pursued, their operations dismantled, and their criminal enterprises brought to an end.”
A First-of-Its-Kind Leader Overseeing a String of Busts
Islam, a 30-year DEA veteran and Bangladeshi immigrant, became the first woman to lead the DEA's New York Enforcement Division when she took over the post in early 2026, according to CBS New York. Her tenure has included a string of large-scale busts across the state. In May, she announced the takedown of a separate cocaine distribution operation in Queens that recovered three kilograms of cocaine and more than $93,000 in cash, according to the DEA.
Hoodline reported in August that Chief Assistant District Attorney Lisa Tompkins said cocaine was present in more than half of fatal drug overdose deaths in New York City.
For now, the case against Gaskin, Stanley, and Nelson remains in its early stages, with the criminal complaints serving as the first formal step toward possible grand jury proceedings. Whether additional co-conspirators in Philadelphia or Albany will eventually face federal indictments remains an open question as the investigation continues.
