Tri-State Task Force Disrupted Major Drug Trafficking in Port Jervis

A total of 36 defendants were charged following a major drug raid in Port Jervis and surrounding areas, according to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler at a Sept. 28 press conference.

The raid was a climax of a months-long investigation by several law enforcement agencies to disrupt Port Jervis-based illegal drug operations.

On Sept. 26, over 200 police officers executed 17 search warrants, resulting in arrests and the seizure of large amounts of illegal drugs.

Seized drugs included two kilograms of cocaine, 74 grams of heroin, and 165 grams of fentanyl—enough fentanyl to kill 82,500 people.

Two milligrams of fentanyl can potentially kill a person, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Seven illegal firearms and $153,690 in cash were also seized.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation included the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Port Jervis Police Department, Middletown Police Department, and state police of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Pictures and names of defendants arrested as a result of a major drug raid trageting operations in Port Jervis were on display during a press conference at Port jervis City Hall on September 28, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Four individuals—Wayne Smith of Deer Park, Joseph Bruno of Port Jervis, Christian Shomo of Mount Hope, and Jose Parra of Port Washington—were charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree.

Each faces up to 20 years in state prison if found guilty.

All four and two Sullivan County defendants are held on bail at Orange County jail.

The rest of the defendants were charged with conspiracy in the second degree for having agreed to engage in or aid the illegal drug operation—a nonbailable offense under New York bail reform—and were subsequently released.

About a third of all defendants are Port Jervis residents.

Police are still locating four individuals wanted on felony complaints: Christopher Stubble and Kristie Hemion of Port Jervis, Adam Russ of Wurtsboro, New York, and Williams Cummings of Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Hoovler said all defendants are assumed innocent until found guilty under the law.