‘Operation Family Ties’ Narcotics Investigation Nets 37 Arrests in the Hudson Valley

“Operation Family Ties,” a nine-month investigation, led to 37 charged for selling drugs in the Hudson Valley. Heroin, cocaine, PCP, weapons and more were seized during 16 search warrants.

On Monday, New York State Police, the City of Newburgh Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, executed 16 search warrant and arrested 34 individuals on felony charges as part of “Operation Family Ties," a nine-month long narcotics investigation. Three remain at-large.

The investigation began in June 2016, after City of Newburgh police and State Police received information about drug sales on Carson Avenue in the City of Newburgh

The investigation targeted the sales of heroin, cocaine, PCP and marijuana in the City of Newburgh, and several surrounding towns in Orange County.

Lamont Williams Sr., 45, of Wallkill, and his son, 27-year-old Lamont Williams Jr., of Port Jervis, were operating a drug trafficking organization known as “Carson’s Casino,” police say.

Both are accused of employing a number of people, many who were family members, to sell powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and PCP.

As police investigated more, they learned that the pair was allegedly given drugs by another drug organization run by Ramon Rivera, 45, of Newburgh.

Ramon Rivera, and his son, Raymond Rivera, are alleged to have regularly sold multiple ounces of narcotics to other drug trafficking organizations, mostly from Ramon Rivera’s garage which was located within “Grieco’s Garage” on Mill Street in the City of Newburgh.

The execution of a search warrant at Raymond Rivera’s home resulted in the seizure of over 60 grams of cocaine, police say.

Police believe that one of Ramon Rivera’s supplier was 52-year-old Ruben Cruz of New Windsor. A search warrant of Cruz’s home allegedly yielded 120 grams of cocaine.

Earnest Washington, of the Bronx, is accused of supplying Williams with PCP.

A search warrant executed at a home on Carson Avenue in the City of Newburgh, the home of Tamika Clegg, Lamara Williams and Desmond Williams, allegedly yielded the recovery of a loaded Sig Sauer .45 caliber pistol along with a large quantity of cash.

521.5 grams of cocaine, 43.91 grams of heroin, 8.21 pounds of marijuana, five ounces of PCP, $111,056 in cash, a stolen .45 caliber pistol and a 12 gauge shotgun were recovered during the 16 search warrants, police say.

The names of the 34 who were charged are listed below:

The following three have been charged with the following crimes, but have have not been arrested.

Anyone with information on the location of any of the three listed above should contact police.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Town of New Windsor Police, the Town of Newburgh Police, the City of Port Jervis Police Department and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance also aided in the execution of the search warrants.