Defendant Pled Guilty to Conspiracy in the Second Degree

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that Taino Lopez, age 26, of Port Jervis, was sentenced to seven to fourteen (7-14) years in state prison in connection with the “Operation Hide in Plain Sight” narcotics investigation, which was conducted by the City of Middletown Police Department and the Orange County Drug Taskforce. On January 4, 2024, Lopez had pled guilty to Conspiracy in Second Degree, and admitted that he participated in a conspiracy with Angelica “Jelly” Rodriguez and Michael Rodriguez to commit the Class A felonies of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree. 

On February 27, 2024, Angelica “Jelly” Rodriguez, age 40, of Middletown, was sentenced to an aggregate term of ten (10) years in prison to be followed by three (3) years post-release supervision relative to her previous guilty plea to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and Conspiracy in the Second and Fourth Degrees. On January 4, 2024, Michael Rodriquez, age 49, of Yonkers, was sentenced to an aggregate term of ten (10) years in prison to be followed by three (3) years post-release supervision relative to his previous guilty plea to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree. (It is not believed that Angelica Rodriguez and Michael Rodriguez are related.)

The City of Middletown Police Department engaged in a two-year long investigation into cocaine trafficking in and around the City of Middletown allegedly committed by Angelica Rodriguez, a/k/a “Jelly,” age 39, of Otisville. The City of Middletown Police Department were later aided in the investigation by the Orange County Drug Taskforce. That Taskforce is run under the supervision of a Senior Criminal Investigator from Orange County District Attorney’s Office and a Senior Investigator from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to personnel from those agencies, the Drug Task Force is composed of police officers from other Orange County police departments. Currently the Town of Montgomery Police Department, the Wallkill Police Department, and the Highlands Police Department have committed to assigning police officers to work on the Taskforce.  

After conventional investigative means failed to reveal evidence showing the entire extent of the narcotics conspiracy surrounding Angelica Rodriguez, the District Attorney’s Office applied for permission to use court-ordered eavesdropping in the investigation.  During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the same suppliers of cocaine who were providing Angelica Rodriguez and her co-conspirators with cocaine to sell, were also supplying narcotics to those in the City of Port Jervis. The City of Port Jervis was also active in the investigation.  Michael Rodriquez is accused of supplying cocaine to narcotics dealers in the City of Middletown and the City of Port Jervis and possessing two illegal handguns.  On July 26, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Michael Rodriguez’s Yonkers residence, which resulted in the seizure of 1516 grams (over 1.5 kilograms) of cocaine, $165,509 in United States currency, scales, a money counter, an unlicensed Ruger .380 caliber pistol, an unlicensed Bond Arms .357 caliber handgun, a vacuum sealer, digital scales and jewelry estimated to have a value of approximately $50,000. It is alleged that Michael Rodriguez regularly supplied cocaine to Angelica Rodriguez, who would sell it in and around Middletown, and Taino Lopez who would sell it in and around Port Jervis.

“The flow of large quantities of narcotics into our communities must be interrupted by identifying traffickers through long-term and dedicated law enforcement investigations,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “In this case, as is true in many cooperative investigations, the hard work of police, including the City of Middletown Police Department together with the Orange County Drug Taskforce, the City of Port Jervis Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police resulted in the arrest, conviction and incarceration of major drug dealers. My Office joins our law enforcement partners in the ongoing battle against narcotics and will utilize all resources available to us to bring drug dealers to justice.”

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory, who also aided in the investigation.