Year-long Narcotics Wiretap Investigation into Cocaine Trafficking in and Around Chester and Goshen 15^th Operating as a Major Trafficker Case by OCDA

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, four of the defendants charged after a year-long narcotics investigation were arraigned on an indictment in the Orange County Court.  Antonio Bucci, age 28, of Chester, was charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, Conspiracy in the Second Degree and related charges.  He was remanded back to Orange County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail, or $1,000,000 fully secured bond or $2,000,000 partially secured bond and is next scheduled for a conference on February 14, 2024.  Lester Zaborski, age 51, of the Bronx, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree.  He was remanded back to Orange County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail, or $1,000,000 fully secured bond or $2,000,000 partially secured bond and is next scheduled for a conference on February 14, 2024.  Tyler Zaborski, age 26, of the Bronx, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree.  He was remanded back to Orange County Jail in lieu of $350,000 cash bail, or $1,000,000 fully secured bond or $2,000,000 partially secured bond and is next scheduled for a conference on February 14, 2024.  James Baltimore, age 36, of Chester, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, Conspiracy in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.  He was remanded back to Orange County Jail without bail and is next scheduled for a conference on February 14, 2024.  It is expected that additional co-defendants will be arraigned on future dates.

The New York State Police, together with the Orange County Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office engaged in a year-long investigation into cocaine trafficking in and around Chester.  As part of the investigation, the District Attorney’s Office applied for permission to use and was granted court-ordered eavesdropping in the case.  Subsequent search warrants were executed at residences in the Village of Chester and the Bronx which resulted in the recovery of over one (1) kilogram of cocaine, approximately $36,000 in United States currency and four loaded handguns.  As alleged in charging documents filed in the Court, Bucci acted as a director of a controlled substance organization that sold cocaine and such sales exceeded $75,000 over a period of less than a year.  Tyler and Lester Zaborski were alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to provide cocaine to be distributed in Orange County.  Baltimore was alleged to also participate in the conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was in possession of loaded firearms during the execution of the search warrants.

“Today we have seen yet another alleged major narcotics trafficker charged in Orange County,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “I commend the New York State Police, the Orange County Drug Task Force, and other law enforcement agencies for working together with my Office during the course of this investigation. I will continue to prioritize and dedicate resources to long-term drug investigations to root out those individuals responsible for the trafficking of large quantities of narcotics in Orange County.  We will use all of the legal resources available to us to conduct these investigations and bring these offenders to justice.”

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Janine Kovacs, who also aided in the investigation.

This criminal charge is merely an allegation 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.