Police: Drug ring run by lieutenant at Middletown, NY firehouse
Career lieutenant called a ringleader. Volunteer chief also arrested. Biker groups involved.
Orange Co DA David Hoovler outlines charges in drug bust. One ring allegedly led by Middletown Fire Lt Paul Smith. 29 people facing charges. pic.twitter.com/IznzfWPp0R
— Tony Aiello (@AielloTV) February 5, 2019
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So far, 29 people have been charged in today’s drug raids in Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties in New York. One part of the ring centers on a fire lieutenant out of the central firehouse in Middletown, New York. Paul G. Smith has been employed by the Middletown Fire Department since 2002, where in 2017 he was paid more than $103,000.
Heather Yakin, Times Herald-Record:
Law enforcement sources confirmed that Lt. Paul G. Smith, a career firefighter, was the leader of the drug ring. Smith and two other men, Garey Michel and Marquis Gamble, have been charged with operating as a major trafficker. They and the other defendants have been charged with second-degree conspiracy.
One of the men arraigned at midday was Dominick Guardino, chief of the Mechanicstown Fire Department. Eriksen told the judge that Guardino obtained pills on occasion while in his department-issued vehicle. Guardino faces one count of conspiracy.
29 people arrested in drug ring that dealt cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and steroids in Orange and Rockland counties. pic.twitter.com/FcgVcU65UI
— Marcus Solis (@MarcusSolis7) February 5, 2019
Officials say the investigation centered on several motorcycle organizations that allegedly distributed cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and steroids.
The drugs reportedly came from both domestic and foreign sources, with the suspect allegedly selling the drugs throughout Orange County.
Most raided locations were in Orange County, but one location where the bikers allegedly purchased the drugs was at the Warren Hills apartment complex in Nyack, Rockland County.
State police, in a coordinated strike with the FBI and the DEA, descended on the locations in Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties to arrest nearly two dozen suspects over a drug ring.https://t.co/Pt84jV1BQx
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 5, 2019
