Crime & Safety
34 Narcotics Arrests Made In 'Operation Family Ties'
The investigation took nine months and results in 16 search warrants.
NEWBURGH, NY — A nine-month narcotics investigation led to 34 drug-related arrests in Orange County.
On March 13, the New York State Police, the City of Newburgh Police Departmen and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office executed 16 search warrants targeting the distribution of heroin, cocaine, PCP and marijuana in the City of Newburgh and several surrounding towns in Orange County.
Police said the investigation began in June 2015, when the City of Newburgh Police Department and the State Police received information concerning illegal narcotics sales in the area of Carson Avenue in Newburgh.
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The effort was dubbed “Operation Family Ties.”
The investigation found evidence that Lamont Williams Sr., 45, of Wallkill, and his son, Lamont Williams Jr., 27, of Port Jervis, were operating a drug-trafficking organization known as “Carson’s Casino.”
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Williams Sr. and Williams Jr. employed numerous individuals, many of them family members, to sell powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and PCP.
Additionally, there was evidence alleging the Williams organization was being supplied with narcotics by another drug trafficking organization run by Ramon Rivera, 45, of Newburgh.
Police said one of Rivera’s suppliers was Ruben Cruz, 52, of New Windsor.
Earnest Washington, 59, of the Bronx, was accused of being the supplier of PCP for the Williams’ organization. In addition to the charge below, he faces a second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance charge.
Evidence recovered during the execution of the search warrants included 521.5 grams of cocaine; 43.91 grams of heroin; 8.21 pounds of marijuana; 5 ounces of PCP $111,056 in cash; a stolen .45 caliber pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun.
Those charged in this enforcement action include:
Three individuals have been charged with the following crimes, but have not been arrested. State Police and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are asking for the public’s help in obtaining information concerning their whereabouts:
Legend: CPCS 2 = second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; second-degree conspiracy, a felony.
Photo credit: NYSP.
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