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On Wednesday, March 20, four Ellenville residents were arrested for selling large amounts of crack cocaine in the Ellenville area as charged in an indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury, said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District in a press release.
Three additional Ellenville residents were charged in December 2018 and January 2019.
The latest arrested include Antonio Naveo, 38, Margaret Vandyke, 56, Iqwan Mandiville, 26, Luis Curet, 33, Jennifer McCombs, 49, Randy Mandiville, 30, and Edwin Jorge, 46, also all of Ellenville.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said in coordination with Wednesday's federal arrests, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting an additional 15 people who were arrested for selling drugs in Ellenville.
During the investigation, police confiscated 40 grams of fentanyl, a drug used to lace heroin and crack cocaine.
Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said 40 grams amounts to 20,000 lethal doses of the drug and is enough to kill five times the population of the village of Ellenville.
The seven arrested face charges of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with the intent to distribute, a felony, and sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison.
“Naveo and his crew monopolized the drug game in the town of Ellenville and sold deadly fentanyl-laced drugs, showing little regard for the life of users,” said Melendez.
Naveo also faces a charge of unlawful possession of a Mossberg shotgun as a previously convicted felon, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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