Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen announced that Irwing Gonzalez (d.o.b. 12/4/85), of Saratoga Springs, NY, was sentenced on July 7, 2017, to eight years imprisonment and five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony, on May 19, 2017.
On May 31, 2017, co-defendant, Brandy Barragan (d.o.b. 12/8/91), had also been sentenced to an eight year term of imprisonment resulting from her guilty plea to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony, on April 12, 2017.
These convictions follow a two month long investigation during which law enforcement officers were able to zero in on the illicit drug activities of Gonzalez and Barragan. On September 21, 2016, Gonzalez and Barragan sold one hundred grams of cocaine to a police agent for $5,000, while in a dorm room located at 246 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The investigation eventually culminated with the execution of search warrants at Gonzalez’s dorm room and Barragan’s local storage unit where several more ounces of cocaine were found. This extensive investigation was spearheaded by members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department (SSPD) Special Investigations Unit (SIU) who worked tirelessly to identify the defendants who were selling large amounts of cocaine in and around the Saratoga Springs Race Track dormitory area.
DA Heggen praised the efforts of law enforcement. “The SSPD SIU received several tips about cocaine sales occurring at and near the 246 Union Avenue location last summer and worked collaboratively with many entities in and around the City of Saratoga Springs to identify and arrest these defendants. This investigation shut down a significant source of drug traffic in the area.”
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Alan M. Poremba.