Details Announced in Major New York, New Jersey Narcotics Investigation

The hits have been coming fast and furious as of late for members of law enforcement in Orange County. Late last week, it was announced by Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler that the Orange County Drug Task Force was recently successful in apprehending and arresting two suspects in connection with a months-long investigation into narcotics sales in the Wallkill area.

Narcotics Investigation from Wallkill to Montague

This most recent announcement from DA Hoovler came this past Friday, February, 23,2024. According to the official press release, this most recent bust came following months' worth of undercover investigating by members of the Orange County Drug Task Force. The investigation was into the sales of cocaine both in and around Wallkill.

Over the months long investigation, investigators gathered a wealth of evidence including that the cocaine was making its way into the area via Montague, New Jersey. With additional evidence gathered, investigators were able to secure court ordered search warrants to residences located in Montague and in Wallkill. The map below shows distance between Montague and Wallkill.

Once warrants were secured, Task Force members made their move on the residences. In their search, investigators discovered and confiscated "...approximately 150 grams of cocaine, over $28,000 in United States currency, and a defaced handgun". The two suspects would also be arrest and they were identified as 23-year-old Ronald Lempka, of Middletown, and 29-year-old Keanu Alicea, of Montague, New Jersey.

Suspects Arraigned and Potential Punishment

Following their arrest, both Lempka and Alicea were arraigned at Centralized Arraignment where afterward they were remanded to Orange County Jail. Officially Lempka and Alicea have been charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree as well as other "related charges".

The charge of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree is one of the of the strictest charges in the New York law book and it carries a hefty penalty. If one is found guilty of this crime, they could find themselves behind bars for the rest of their life. Even a minimum sentence for this crime would land one behind bars from anywhere between 10-40 years. One may also need to also pay a fine of $100,000.

DA's Response and Involved Agencies

After giving the details of the investigation, District Attorney Hoovler commended and thanked all of the agencies involved in the investigation, which included the New York State Police Violent Gangs and Narcotics Enforcement Team (VGNET); Sussex NJ Guns, Gangs and Narcotics Task Force; Town of Wallkill Police Department; City of Middletown Police Department; and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center.

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Both DA Hoovler as well as Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta each delivered strong comments when addressing the issue of drug traffickers bringing in and spreading dangerous narcotics into our local communities.

Hoovler stated...

The only way to disrupt such high-level trafficking is through meticulous, coordinated and skilled long-term investigations utilizing all of the resources available to police and prosecutors...

Following DA Hoovler, Sheriff Arteta stated...

We are proud to have such a great team of investigators doing one of the most challenging jobs in police work for our communities. They had a mission to eliminate a main transport line of cocaine into our Orange County community, and that is what they did.

The message whichever way you put it was simple, our local law enforcement worked diligently and cooperated with one another to successfully end this drug line and it will take those continued efforts going forward as the battle against these illegal narcotics rages on.