Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, City of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden and Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta Announce Narcotics Arrest by City of Port Jervis Police Department and Orange County Drug Task Force

Defendant Charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, City of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden and Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta announced that Shariff Gual, 37, of Deerpark, was arrested on July 20, 2023, and charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree.  Gual was arraigned in the Centralized Arraignment Part – City of Middletown Court on Friday, July 21, 2023, and remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.  A Notice of Affirmative Grand jury Action was filed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in the City Court of Port Jervis onJuly 24, 2023, and Gual remains remanded in the Orange County Jail pending an appearance in the County Court of Orange County.  

A nearly month-long investigation conducted by the City of Port Jervis Police Department and Orange County Drug Task Force, together with the Pike County Criminal Investigations Division of the Pike County Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office, and the Sussex County New Jersey Prosecutors Office, revealed that Gual, who had been acting in concert with Reginald Francis,who has been arrested and charged with narcotics offenses in Milford, Pennsylvania, sold and possessed cocaine to resell to others within Orange County, New York, Montague, New Jersey, and Milford, Pennsylvania. The investigation culminated with the execution of multiple search warrants in the City of Port Jervis, Town of Deerpark, Montague, New Jersey, and Milford, Pennsylvania.

Search warrants executed during this investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 940 grams cocaine, a loaded handgun, and approximately $1,200 in cash. Other law enforcement agencies who provided crucial aid in this investigation included the City of Middletown Police Department, the Town of Deerpark Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group, the Pike County Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Office, Hudson Crime Analysis Center, the Pennsylvania State Police, and U.S. Probation.

“Narcotics and drug addiction continue to devastate our communities, and the larger narcotics traffickers who prey on the addictions of others must be stopped,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “I am thankful for the resources that the City of Port Jervis Police Department and the Orange County Drug Taskforce put into this investigation, and the many others that they conduct with my office.  I am also grateful for the cooperation and dedication shown by all the police agencies and prosecutor offices, both within our State, and in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, who aided in this investigation. Cooperation and coordination between law enforcement agencies is essential when combating major narcotics traffickers, particularly when their activities cross state lines.  We are truly fortunate that law enforcement agencies in those areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania which border Orange County are as committed as we are to work together for public safety.”

Sheriff Paul Arteta added “Not only are we combating the effects of drugs and drug-related crimes in the community, but we are also dealing with recidivism. Re-occurring offenders who continue to introduce these poisons into our communities need to be held accountable.”

City of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden said, “These arrests of major narcotics traffickers in the tri-state community underscore our continued commitment to work as an interstate team sharing resources and intelligence to hold drug dealers accountable for their actions and to improve the safety and quality of life in Port Jervis and the tri-state area.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.

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.