A Jamestown man has been indicted for allegedly possessing meth.

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 20-year-old Ruben Medina with possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in the early evening hours of Sept. 11, 2024, a Jamestown Police officer was patrolling around North Main Street and West 12th Street in a marked patrol vehicle. While patrolling, the officer observed Medina driving a vehicle in front of him. Aware that Medina had an outstanding probation warrant, the officer conducted a traffic stop. Additional officers then arrived on scene to assist. As one of the officers approached the vehicle, Medina initially refused to exit the vehicle before complying and exiting the vehicle.

Medina was taken into custody and transported to the Jamestown City Jail, where an officer allegedly discovered a plastic bag containing approximately 109 grams of methamphetamine during a pat down of Medina.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Medina appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson.