(WNY News Now) Attorney General Letitia James declared that seven members of a drug trafficking organization had been indicted. Over 10,500 fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, eight kilograms of cocaine, three guns, including a ghost gun, and $14,000 in cash were found during the investigation.
Monday, January 9, 2025, New York Seven members of a drug trafficking organization that unlawfully distributed cocaine and fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, and Westchester counties were arrested and charged by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday. Shamique Delaine, Jonte Hatcher, Romell Hearn, Nicole Kane, Daquan Killian, and Dwan Scafe are all charged in the 155-count indictment with conspiracy and trafficking cocaine and fake oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl. Damian Cunningham, a seventh defendant, is accused of cocaine trafficking. Over 10,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl valued at approximately $75,000, over eight kilograms of cocaine valued at approximately $200,000, three firearms, including a ghost gun, and $14,000 in cash were seized as part of the investigation, which was headed by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF).
Attorney General James stated that counterfeit opioids that carry lethal doses of fentanyl pose a serious risk to the people of New York. In the Hudson Valley, where the opioid crisis has severely impacted communities, our investigation broke up a drug trafficking network that was responsible for transporting large amounts of hazardous drugs. In addition to thanking the New York State Police for their cooperation and hard work on this investigation that removed dangerous drugs and firearms from our streets, my administration is still dedicated to addressing this epidemic from all fronts.
The OCTF and the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Special Investigations Unit Hudson Valley (SIU-HV) and Troop K Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (K-VGNET) conducted a 12-month cooperative investigation that culminated in today’s takedown. Hundreds of hours of covert and physical surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of cell phones, the use of controlled drug and firearm purchase operations, the analysis of copious amounts of electronic evidence, including cellular phone conversations, and other conventional investigative techniques were all part of the investigation.
The inquiry found 2,000 fake oxycodone tablets that contained fentanyl.
Drug paraphernalia, cocaine, and a gun were found during the inquiry.
The investigators found a Polymer 80 ghost handgun.
The defendants and their co-conspirators regularly employed coded and cryptic vocabulary to try to hide their illegal acts during the inquiry, as shown by both electronic surveillance and traditional investigative tactics. The defendants used “soft” as a codeword for cocaine and called the fake oxycodone tablets “blues.”
Nicole Kane was the focus of the investigation because she bought cocaine and fake oxycodone pills that included fentanyl from Daquan Killian, Romell Hearn, and Jonte Hatcher to distribute. Kane sourced fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl from Killian at his house and at a Price Chopper Supermarket in the Town of Poughkeepsie. She conducted business out of her Highland, New York, home. Additionally, Hearn sold fake oxycodone and cocaine in Poughkeepsie, including in a nearby AutoZone parking lot. Hatcher sold cocaine and fake oxycodone in Poughkeepsie and around Orange County’s Newburgh Mall.
The inquiry also found that Hearn was collaborating with Dwan Scafe, operating out of a Poughkeepsie stash house, to possess, store, supply, and distribute cocaine and fake oxycodone pills that included fentanyl in Dutchess County. A kilogram of cocaine that Scafe sold to Damian Cunningham in March 2024 was confiscated by authorities during a Westchester County traffic stop. In May 2024, Hearn and Scafe were found in possession of a loaded weapon, a high-capacity magazine, and six kilograms of cocaine during search warrant executions in Poughkeepsie. Hatcher and Shamique Delaine were found in possession of a loaded weapon and about 450 grams of cocaine during search warrant executions in August 2024. The investigation also turned up a Polymer 80 ghost gun that Kane had sold.
The following were recovered as a result of the drug trafficking network investigation:
- Over eight kilograms of cocaine, with an approximate street value of $200,000;
- Over 10,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, with an approximate street value of $75,000;
- Three illegal firearms, including one ghost gun, and two high-capacity magazines;
- Drug paraphernalia, including scales, ziplock bags, and other packaging materials, used to package and measure narcotics; and
- Approximately $14,000 in cash.
The 155-count indictment, which was unsealed before Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin, charges a number of felony drug offenses, including conspiracy to commit those crimes and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first and second degrees, both of which are class A felonies with maximum sentences of 14 and 24 years in prison, respectively. In addition, Hatcher, Kane, Hearn, and Scafe face charges related to firearms, including the class C dangerous crime of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. The maximum penalty for operating as major traffickers, which Hearn and Scafe are accused of, is life in jail.
According to State Police Superintendent Steven G. James, today’s arrests are a part of a concerted effort to target the networks delivering fake oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl and other harmful drugs into downstate areas. State Police will keep working with the Attorney General’s Office and local law enforcement to stop these unlawful operations and apprehend those responsible.
The following people are accused in today’s indictment:
- Damian Cunningham, 40 years old, Mount Vernon, New York
- Shamique Delaine, 33 years old, Poughkeepsie, New York
- Jonte Hatcher a/k/a Diggs , 41 years old, Poughkeepsie, New York
- Romell Hearn a/k/a Mel , 45 years old, Poughkeepsie, New York
- Nicole Kane, 36 years old, Highland, New York
- Daquan Killian, 32 years old, Poughkeepsie, New York
- Dwan Scafe, 36 years old, Poughkeepsie, New York
The suspects are assumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and the charges against them are only accusations.
In OAG’s Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (SURGE) Initiative, which combines state and local law enforcement to target New York’s heroin, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks, today’s takedown represents the most recent significant drug bust. SURGE has removed 980 suspected traffickers off the streets since its inception in 2017.
Investigators from NYSP K-VGNET overseen by NYSP K-VGNET Senior Investigators Robert Lombardi and Robert Molica and NYSP K-VGNET Lieutenant Lisa Strauss, NYSP SIU-HV investigators led by NYSP SIU-HV Senior Investigator Andrew Piliero-Kinderman and NYSP SIU-HV Lieutenant Timothy Gould, and OCTF Detectives David Walsh and Steven Cohan overseen by OCTF Detective Supervisor Bradford Miller, OCTF Downstate Assistant Chief Ismael Hernandez, and OCTF Deputy Chief Andrew Boss. Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes leads the Attorney General’s Investigations Division.
Attorney General James would also like to thank the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Drug Task Force, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, and Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi for their support during the investigation, in addition to the law enforcement partners mentioned above.
Under the direction of Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti, OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney Generals James Cudden and Griffin Kenyon are prosecuting the case. OCTF Legal Analyst Madeline Rosen and OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General John Genovese are also assisting. OCTF’s Deputy Attorney General in Charge is Nicole Keary. Chief Deputy Attorney General Jos Maldonado is in charge of the Division for Criminal Justice. First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy is in charge of the Division for Criminal Justice and the Investigations Division.