TOWN OF WALLKILL – Thirty-four people are under arrest and three remain at large in connection with a multi-agency law enforcement operation that extended to several areas of Orange County and into Plattekill in Ulster County. Jermaine Boykin, 39, is considered armed and dangerous.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, said on Thursday an organization allegedly run by Ramon Rivera, 45, of Newburgh, was supplying his own dealers as well as another operation allegedly run by Lamont Williams, Sr., 45, of Wallkill, and his son, Lamont Williams, Jr., 27, of Port Jervis.
The police operation was dubbed “Operation Family Ties” because of the involvement of family members in both rings.
State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team Major David Krause said the trafficking was conducted on a daily basis.
“We are disrupting supply; we are saving lives,” Krause said. “It’s not just the folks that are addicted to these drugs that we are ultimately helping, but with the drug trade comes an awful lot of violence as well, and so anything that we can do to disrupt that is going to be helpful.”
The nine-month investigation that led to these busts, which involved 16 search warrants, resulted in the seizure of over 521 grams of cocaine, just under 44 grams of heroin, over eight pounds of marijuana, five ounces of PCP, $111,000 in cash, a stolen .45 caliber pistol and a 12 gauge shotgun. Hoovler said the PCP operation was the largest one seen in the City of Newburgh in years.
One of the areas where the drugs were supplied was the Bronx, said Hoovler.
