Valley Cottage, Nyack Residents Charged in Probe of Open-Air Drug Dealing

NEW CITY, NY — A three-month undercover narcotics investigation targeting street-level drug dealers in Clarkstown and Orangetown has resulted in criminal charges against four people, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe announced Friday.

The four are charged with selling crack and powdered cocaine, heroin and marijuana to undercover police officers on numerous occasions in and around Valley Cottage and the Village of Nyack.

"The result of this joint investigation should bring welcome relief to the residents of Rockland County," Zugibe said in his announcement. "These defendants were major players in the open-air drug markets believed responsible for moving thousands of dollars in illegal drugs into our neighborhoods."

In July 2016, the Drug Task Force received intelligence from the Village of Spring Valley Police Department regarding open-air drug dealing within the village. This information also led the Drug Task Force to locations of open-air drug transactions in Clarkstown and Orangetown.

In response, the Drug Task Force, along with officers from Spring Valley, Orangetown and Clarkstown dispatched numerous undercover officers to purchase crack and powdered cocaine, heroin and other drugs at several locations. These undercover buys and "buyer beware" operations included eavesdropping methods in order to dismantle the disciplined group of drug dealers.

According to the charges, defendant Jason Alcin, 33, of 338 Old Mill Road, Valley Cottage, New York, directed his customers to the streets surrounding the Nyack Plaza Apartments, including the front lot of Head Start of Rockland, a nationally accredited preschool and early education center for low-income children and their families in Rockland County.

These open-air transactions were often observed by the Orangetown Police Department Uniform Patrol and Rockland County Drug Task Force members.

As part of the investigation, officers executed search warrants and recovered two, loaded .357 magnum semi-
automatic handguns and $216,000 in cash from Alcin's residence.

The investigation culminated with a 24-count indictment handed up by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.

“The arrests in this case illustrate the determination and persistence of both law enforcement and prosecutors in attacking drug trafficking in Rockland County in order to improve the quality of life for our families,” Zugibe said.

The four are variously charged with the crimes of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class “B” Felony, punishable by up to nine years in prison, Criminal Possession Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class “B” Felony, punishable by up to nine years in prison and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class “C” Felony, punishable by up to 15 years in state prison.

In addition to Alcin, the defendants are Candice Biggs, 30, of 403 Nyack Plaza Apartments, Nyack; Jason Britt, 34, of 403 Nyack Plaza Apartments; and Stephanie Federici, 32, of 338 Old Mill Road, Valley Cottage.

A charge of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class “A” Misdemeanor, was also filed against Federici. The Rockland County Office of Child Protective Services has been notified of the charge.

Alcin was already on probation for Criminal Possession Marijuana in the Fourth Degree.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Amanda Doty is prosecuting the case.