12 Charged In 'Operation Candy Crush' Against MidHudson Drug Ring

HUDSON VALLEY, NY – “Operation Candy Crush” smashed a drug trafficking ring in the mid-Hudson Valley Tuesday. Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced an indictment charging 12 people with selling thousands of prescription pills to dozens of customers on a daily basis in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties.

The investigation's name came from the drug ring's references to prescription pills as “candy” and “skittles,” she said.

The 110-count indictment, unsealed in Dutchess County Court Tuesday, charges the 12 alleged co-conspirators, who range in age from 19 to 59, with Conspiracy, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, in addition to other charges.

“As we allege, this narcotics trafficking ring sold thousands of prescription pills to dozens of individuals,” Underwood said in the announcement. “My office is committed to continuing our multi-levered approach to tackling New York’s opioid epidemic – including working with our partners in law enforcement to stop the flow of these dangerous drugs into our communities and drive traffickers out of business.”

As alleged in the indictment, several members of the criminal network focused their operation on the purchase and resale of prescription pills, including oxycodone, amphetamine (Adderall), diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), and buprenorphine (Suboxone).

The investigation uncovered that several of the conspirators allegedly obtained prescription pills through legitimate prescriptions and then sold their entire prescription for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors allege that Kimberly Bevan obtained large quantities of oxycodone pills from Arthur Volgarino and others, and then supplied those oxycodone pills to Mark Thomas for resale to other individuals throughout Dutchess County. Mark Thomas also allegedly purchased prescription pills – such as oxycodone, diazepam, and clonazepam – from other individuals, including John Loverro, and ultimately re-sold those pills to other individuals for further distribution.

Similarly, the investigation revealed that Samantha Vantassell allegedly bought prescription pills – such as oxycodone, amphetamine, and buprenorphine – from other co-conspirators including James Davis, Timothy Cherry, Michael Rhodes, Nicole Vantassell, and Savanna Sherow. Samantha Vantassell then allegedly supplied those prescription pills to her customers, including Trish Sucato, for further redistribution.

The investigation included hundreds of hours of physical and covert surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of numerous target phones, the review of subpoena compliance, and undercover “controlled buy” operations. During the course of the wiretapping, conspirators frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their illicit narcotics trafficking, such as referring to prescription pills as “candy” or “skittles.”

The conspirators would also refer to specific dosages of oxycodone pills by the shape and color of the oxycodone pills. For example, 30 milligram oxycodone pills were referred to as “blueberries,” “blueberry pie,” or “blues”; 15 milligram oxycodone pills were referred to as “green apples” or “greens”; and 10 milligram oxycodone pills as “bananas” or “yellows.”

The indictment, unsealed before Dutchess County Court Judge McLoughlin, charged the following 12 individuals with crimes including Conspiracy in the Second Degree and Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (Class A and B felonies), among other charges:

• KIMBERLY BEVAN, 33 – Poughkeepsie
• TIMOTHY CHERRY, 54 – Newburgh
• JAMES LEE DAVIS, a/k/a “Jim-Bob,” 59 – Newburgh
• MICHAEL DUBOIS, a/k/a “Michael Brandon,” 39 – Newburgh
• JOHN LOVERRO, a/k/a “Johnny Boy,” 54 – Poughkeepsie
• MICHAEL RHODES, 40 – Poughkeepsie
• SAVANNA SHEROW, 19 – Hyde Park
• TRISHA SUCATO, 49 – Highland
• MARK THOMAS, a/k/a “Uncle Mark,” 56 – Poughkeepsie
• NICOLE VANTASSELL, 42 – Poughkeepsie
• SAMANTHA VANTASSELL, 35 – Poughkeepsie
• ARTHUR J. VOLGARINO JR., 59 – Hopewell Junction

In a separate indictment unsealed Tuesday, Samantha Vantassell is charged with creating a fictitious Instagram account under another individual’s name to disseminate a post threatening a school shooting at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, New York.

Vantassell was charged with Making a Terrorist Threat and Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree for posting a photo of an individual holding what appeared to be an assault rifle with the caption, “going through a lot right now can’t go to school I’m feeling like shooting roosevelt school up.” If convicted on this separate indictment, Vantassell faces up to 7 years in prison.

The 12 were arraigned on the drug charges before Judge Edward McLoughlin in Dutchess County Court. If convicted, each could face 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Attorney General would like to thank the U.S. Army National Guard Counterdrug Task Force for their assistance in this investigation. The charges in the indictment are the result of a joint investigation by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and the New York State Police.