A Hudson Valley man is accused of possessing over 10,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl one day after a top local official declared a public health emergency due to a spike in fentanyl-related deaths.

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On Tuesday, the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) reported the arrest of Timothy L. Schleede, 29, of Kingston, following a narcotics investigation.

Schleede was identified as a person of interest when URGENT began an investigation into the sale of heroin and fentanyl at hotels and motels in the Town of Ulster in August, police say.

Schleede was allegedly seen by officers engaging in several drug transactions at one of the hotels. He's also accused of selling to an undercover police officer. He was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

Following his arrest, a search warrant was executed on his hotel room, which resulted in the recovery of approximately 2,500 bags of heroin and fentanyl, police say. An additional search warrant was executed at a secondary location associated with Schleede, which resulted in the recovery of an additional approximately 7,500 bags of heroin and fentanyl, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office.

The arrest was the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team's largest heroin and fentanyl bust.

Schleede was arraigned in the Town of Ulster Court for the felony of criminal possession of a controlled substance and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail after violating the terms of release for a pending case in the Town of Ulster.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges are expected, police say.

The arrest came a day after Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan declared a public health emergency due to a spike in fentanyl-related deaths in Ulster County.

From the period January through July, opioid-related deaths increased 171% in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, Ryan announced.

“We've seen the tragic and lethal impacts of fentanyl right here in our own community leading to 34 deaths already this year,” Ryan said. “I'm declaring this Public Health Emergency to make sure we have all hands on deck, working together, to combat this deadly drug. This is an issue that I take extremely seriously and we will continue to work with our many partners to continue to raise awareness and work to save lives."

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