Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta Announce Arrests Stemming from Narcotics Enforcement Action in and Around Warwick and Greenwood Lake
Four Defendants Charged with Counts Related to the Possession and Sale of Narcotics
Investigation Included Use of Undercover Officers and the Execution of Search Warrants
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on May 26, 2023 that four (4) defendants have been charged with crimes pertaining to the trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine in the Town of Warwick, Village of Greenwood Lake and surrounding areas. The arrests are part of a multi-agency investigation and enforcement action conducted by the Orange County Drug Task Force (OCDTF), the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Operation Group, the Town of Warwick Police Department, and the Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department. Those agencies were assisted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center.
Over the course of the past five (5) months, undercover investigators purchased quantities of narcotics from individuals in and around the Town of Warwick and the Village of Greenwood Lake. As a result of the investigation, search warrants were executed at residences in the Town of Newburgh, the Town of Warwick and the Village of Greenwood Lake. During the execution of the warrants, police officers recovered quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine, digital scales and packaging material for narcotics.
| Last Name | First Name | Age | Top Charge | Substance |
| Slaughter | George | 35 | Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree | Methamphetamine |
| Dawson | Herbert | 36 | Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree | Cocaine |
| Joseph | Malique | 25 | Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree | Cocaine |
| Romero | Leticia | 43 | Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree | Cocaine |
“Drug trafficking can be found in and around every community in the county,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “Enforcement actions such as this one root out the drug dealers in our communities. We will continue to dedicate resources to these long-term investigations and seek appropriate dispositions where criminal charges are filed. It takes the cooperative efforts of many law enforcement agencies to ensure that dangerous drug dealing is identified and addressed. I applaud the continued commitment to these goals by the agencies involved in this action and others like it.”
“Again, we see how accessible these dangerous drugs are in our communities. This is not acceptable. We will continue to do everything we can to support investigations and operations to rid the criminals supporting the substance abuse epidemic and the drugs from our hometowns, together with our Law Enforcementpartners,” said Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta.
“The Town of Warwick Police Department is committed to fully investigating and prosecuting illegal drug activity in the community,” said Town of Warwick Police Chief John Rader.
“The investigative effort and synergy between all of the agencies involved was, and will continue to be, second to none. We will continue to work diligently with all of our counterparts to put an end to narcotic trafficking in our communities,” said Village of Greenwood Lake Police Chief Adam Eirand.
The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Janine Kovacs and Assistant District Attorneys Alexis Gregory and Bryan Conway.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.