Hudson Valley men allegedly trafficked $1.2M in drugs, 12 indicted
Twelve residents are facing charges relating to an alleged drug operation that flooded the Hudson Valley and Capital regions with cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine pills and artificial Xanax pills.
According to two indictments unsealed Wednesday in Ulster County Court the dozen, which included residents of Saugerties, Kingston, New Paltz, Wappingers Falls and other northern areas, played roles in the trafficking of more than $1 million worth of drugs in Ulster, Dutchess and Saratoga counties.
Some defendants also were accused of illegally possessing firearms, including assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The indictments were a result of an 11-month joint investigation led by the state Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force, the Ulster County Sheriff's Office and the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team.
They were assisted by the Ulster County District Attorney's Office, Dutchess County's drug task force and sheriff's office, and the State Police Special Investigations Unit.
The investigation led to the recovery of 11 kilograms of cocaine, with an approximate street value of $1.2 million; 15,000 methamphetamine pills disguised as Adderall pills with an approximate street value of $100,000; 5,000 artificial Xanax pills with an approximate street value of $50,000; and 750 heroin pills disguised as oxycodone, with an approximate street value of $20,000, according to an announcement from Attorney General Letitia James.
"As communities across New York and the country are devastated by opioids and gun violence every day, we are taking serious action to crack down on those who fuel this harm," James said in a statement. "This operation was especially dangerous because they sold drugs that were intentionally disguised as prescription pills, and were heavily armed with assault weapons and other firearms."
The first indictment contains 275 counts of various felony narcotics offenses. Christopher Pulichene, 39, of New Paltz, was charged with operating as a major drug trafficker, which James said carries a maximum sentence of life in state prison if convicted.
Also charged under that indictment were Ralph Banks Jr., 50, Thomas Colon, 60, and Nicholas Lasusa, 31, all of Saugerties; Alton Countryman, 35, Thekla Countryman, 35, Kevin Drake Jr., 32, and Joshua Guldy, 21, all of Kingston; Julia Eaton, 34, of Gansevoort; Zachary Vanvlack, 34, of Wappingers Falls; and Devyn Wolny, 24, of New Paltz.
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According to the indictment:
► Pulichene purchased heroin pills from Alton Countryman, who was supported by his wife Thekla Countryman, and Guldy. Alton Countryman created the heroin pills in his home and disguised them to look like pharmaceutical grade oxycodone pills. Pulichene then sold the heroin pills to Colon, Eaton and Vanvlack.
► Pulichene purchased methamphetamine pills disguised to look like Adderall from a source on the West Coast and sold them to Colon, Eaton, Vanvlack, Wolny, Banks and others.
► Pulichene obtained cocaine from a source on the Gulf Coast and sold it to Colon, Eaton and Wolny for resale to others. Colon resold the cocaine to Banks, Drake and Lasusa.
In the second indictment, Robert Curry, 42, of Albany, was charged with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and three counts associated with the possession of cocaine in the City of Kingston.
"This is one of the largest drug and gun takedowns in the history of Ulster County," said District Attorney David J. Clegg.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@gannett.com or on Twitter @MikeRandall845
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Hudson Valley drug takedown: 12 indicted on trafficking charges
