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Orange County residents Marius Schwerberg, 65, and his wife, Nancy Schwerberg, 43, were charged in a felony complaint filed in the Town of Montgomery Court with first-degree criminal drug possession on Oct. 21, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced.
The money constitutes the largest amount of cash recovered during a narcotics search warrant in Orange County history, Hoovler said.
The charges were the result of a joint investigation by the New York and New Jersey state police departments, the NYSP Troop F Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team (“VGNET”), and the Orange County DA.
A search warrant executed at the Schwerberg’s Loch Lane home in Montgomery turned up 1,485 grams of cocaine, 17 pounds of marihuana -- which collectively had a street value of more than $180,000, Hoovler said.
Items used for the cutting, weighing, and repackaging of cocaine, a loaded handgun, and $1,187,391 in cash were also recovered.
Arrest warrants were also issued by Orange County Court Judge William L. DeProspo for the Schwerbergs to be produced in Orange County Court to face charges there.
The arrest warrant for Marius Schwerberg was for Operating as a Major Trafficker, and the warrant for Nancy Schwerberg was for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree.
Both were in custody in New Jersey, where they are facing charges pending extradition to New York, Hoovler said.
“This case shows that major narcotics trafficking is not just confined to urban areas,” Hoovler said.
“We will have these defendants brought to Orange County to face charges as soon as possible. Narcotics are destroying the very fabric of our communities and those who reap large profits from narcotics trafficking must be severely punished. It is only when law enforcement agencies work collaboratively that large scale narcotics operations can be disrupted.”
The cases are being prosecuted by Hoovler and Assistant District Attorney Neal E. Eriksen.
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