GOSHEN – A 30-year-old Newburgh man has been charged with two counts of drug sales in connection with several sales of the narcotic fentanyl to an undercover police officer.
The charges against Rahsaan Melvin were the culmination of a two-month investigation conducted by a coalition of law enforcement agencies.
It is alleged that Melvin had negotiated sales of loose heroin to the undercover who posed as a drug dealer who planned to sell them to street level buyers.
Melvin sold a total of 25.9 gram of fentanyl and received over $3,600 from the undercover cop.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.
He is being held in the Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail, or $300,000 of secured bond, or $500,00 unsecured bond.
Under the state’s criminal justice reforms, drug offenses such as these do not qualify for bail, but because Melvin was on federal probation, he was committed to the county jail.
“Fatal overdoses in Orange County occur at an alarming rate and one of the most lethal narcotics contributing to these deaths is illegally purchased fentanyl,” said District Attorney David Hoovler. “Even more dangerous than ingesting illegally obtained fentanyl, is ingesting it when you are unaware that it is present.”
The investigation that led to Melvin’s arrest was conducted by the Orange County Drug Task Force, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
