Port Jervis Man Charged with Selling 2.2 ounces of Cocaine to Undercover Police Officer
Arrest is the result of months long investigation into narcotics trafficking in the City of Port Jervis
Defendant to face additional charges in Pennsylvania
City of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler and Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta, announced that Enido Isaac Rumaldo, age 20, of Port Jervis was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, and related charges, for having sold more than 2.2 ounces of cocaine to an undercover police officer. Rumaldo was arrested by police officers of City of Port Jervis Police Department on October 16, 2024, at about 3:10 PM on King Street in Port Jervis. Rumaldo had just delivered the 2.2 ounces of cocaine to an undercover police officer assigned to the Orange County Drug Task Force, in exchange for $4,000, which was recovered from a yard/driveway after police officers observed Rumaldo hide it. Rumaldo was also charged with Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia for having a scale and packaging materials commonly used to sell narcotics in the Cadilliac automobile that he had been driving.
Rumaldo’s arrest was the result of an investigation by the Port Jervis Police Department, who were aided by the Orange County Drug Task Force and the City of Middletown Police Department. The investigation utilized undercover police officers who purchased narcotics from Rumaldo in increasing amounts, culminating in the sale of the 2.2 ounces of cocaine sold on October 16, 2024.
Rumaldo was arranged on October 17, 2024, in the Centralized Arraignment Part and remanded to Orange County Jail without bail. Rumaldo is next scheduled to appear in the City of Port Jervis City Court on October 21, 2024. Rumaldo faces between eight and twenty years in state prison if convicted of the crime of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree.
The City of Port Jervis Police Department was aided in its investigation by the Orange County Drug Task Force, the City of Middletown Police Department, the Town of Wallkill Police Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Pike County District Attorney’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hudson Valley Crime Analyst Center. In addition to the charges pending in Orange County, Rumaldo is also being investigated by the Pike County District Attorney’s Office.
The Orange County Drug Task Force is operated 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 Town of Woodbury Police Department have committed to assigning police officers to work on the Task Force. The Drug Task Force assists other agencies in conducting narcotics investigations, including undercover investigations, throughout the County.
Chief William Worden of the City of Port Jervis Police Department said, “We are committed to continuing our proactive multi-agency approach to identifying those individuals who are responsible for trafficking narcotics in the tri-state region and holding them legally accountable for their actions to keep our communities safe.”
“I commend the City of Port Jervis Police Department for devoting their resources, and working collaboratively with other agencies, such the Orange County Drug Task Force, to stop the flow of illicit narcotics into our community,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “Many of us have witnessed first-hand the devastation that illicit drugs, and the illegal firearms that are inevitably linked to narcotics trafficking, have wrought on our children and communities. I am grateful for the bravery, hard work and dedication that all the police officers involved in the is investigation have demonstrated. My office will continue to do all in our power to seek meaningful sentences on those who sell large amounts of narcotics and attempt to profit from others’ addiction.”
Sheriff Paul Arteta said, “All police work is inherently dangerous and undercover police work is especially risky. I am proud of the work of the deputy sheriffs assigned to the Orange County Drug Task Force who risk their lives every day to protect our communities from illegal narcotics and firearms. Police agencies work best when they work together and multi-agencies investigations such this are crucial to stopping drug traffickers, particularly those who work across state lines. I thank and congratulate all the police officers from all the various jurisdictions that worked on this case. Those who live and work in our communities deserve to be safe from illegal drugs and guns.”
Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin said, “ “As our partnership with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Port Jervis Police Department grows stronger in the fight against drug traffickers in the Tri-State Area, it means bad news and prison time for the traffickers and good news for the community that the traffickers are off the street are not peddling their poison and ruining the neighborhoods of our community.”
The Orange County case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.
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.
