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Ramon Rivera, 45, and his son, Raymond Rivera, 26, were the last of 35 indicted defendants in the case to plead guilty, the DA's office said.
Ramon Rivera pled guilty to second-degree conspiracy, and Raymond Rivera pled guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance on Friday, Feb. 2. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, the DA's office said.
At the time Ramon Rivera pleaded guilty, prosecutors they would be seeking a sentence of six to 12 in state prison.
The investigation targeted the distribution of heroin, cocaine, PCP, and marijuana in the City of Newburgh and several surrounding towns in Orange County. The investigation began in June 2016, when the City of Newburgh Police Department and the New York State Police received information about illegal narcotics sales around 170 Carson Avenue in the City of Newburgh.
On March 13, 2017, the New York State Police, the City of Newburgh Police Department, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office executed 16 search warrants and arrested over 30 individuals on felony charges as part of a nine-month narcotics investigation, dubbed “Operation Family Ties.”
The indictment alleged that Ramon Rivera and his son, Raymond Rivera were operating a drug trafficking organization in the City of Newburgh and the Town of Newburgh supplying individuals with cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin for redistribution on the street. An execution of Raymond Rivera’s residence yielded 30 grams of cocaine.
"This case illustrates just how organized drug traffickers can be as they attempt to profit from the opioid epidemic,” said Hoovler. “It is only through coordinated enforcement actions such as ‘Operation Family Ties’ that law enforcement is able to pursue those higher-level drug dealers and craftier offenders who attempt to insulate themselves from criminal liability by dealing drugs through intermediaries."
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