Hudson Valley Fire Department Lieutenant Admits to Selling Drugs

A Hudson Valley fire department lieutenant confessed be to being a major drug trafficker.

On Monday, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced three defendants, including Paul Smith, 48, of Deerpark, who was a paid Lieutenant with the City of Middletown Fire Department at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the enforcement action dubbed “Operation Bread, White and Blues”.

Felony complaints showed two separate conspiracies, one of which primarily involves members and associates of self-professed “outlaw” motorcycle clubs trafficking cocaine, and another of which involves the sale of narcotic pills which were represented to contain oxycodone, but which contained fentanyl, a highly addictive and frequently lethal narcotic, officials say.

Smith pleaded guilty to operating as a major trafficker and conspiracy, in connection with the conspiracy to distribute cocaine through self-professed “outlaw” motorcycle clubs.

“As a firefighter and first responder, Paul Smith knows better than most the dangers involved in ingesting the narcotics that he, and those he admitted were his co-conspirators, were selling,” Hoovler said. “It is unconscionable that someone who is paid to help others would be peddling these substances.”

As part of his plea deal, Smith will be sentenced to just over eight years in prison. Smith also agreed to forfeit $315,000 he made from selling cocaine as well as a 2014 Dodge Ram pick-up truck, a 2008 corvette automobile and a 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle that he used to transport narcotics.

Samuel Marino, 30, of Campbell Hall, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy, in connection with the conspiracy to distribute cocaine through self-professed “outlaw” motorcycle clubs. He will be sentenced to five to fifteen years in state prison.

Raymond Chong, 49, of Middletown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, in connection with the conspiracy to sell pills containing narcotics.

"Operation Bread, White and Blues" lead to 29 arrests, including a local firefighter and police officer, who are all accused of being part drug selling conspiracies in the Hudson Valley.

The arrests and search warrant executions were as a result of a 6-month-long narcotics investigation.

Law enforcement officials recovered more than $200,000, 25 handguns, one assault rifle, multiple rifles, ten vehicles, two motorcycles, over 2.5 pounds of cocaine and 1300 Fentanyl pills, according to police.