The Newburgh man prosecutors say turned a Jamaican food truck parked near the city courthouse into a pipeline for drugs and guns is headed to state prison for 12 years, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Kirkland Salmon, 44, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and related conspiracy charges in a case investigators dubbed "Operation Hot Lunch." The conviction caps a months-long probe that ended in a coordinated enforcement sweep in May 2024.
Sentence Announced After Plea
Prosecutors announced the sentence this week. According to the Daily Voice, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said Salmon used the Real Spice food truck as a cover to sell cocaine and move illegal firearms. Officials described him as a central organizer, coordinating narcotics and weapons moving through Newburgh and other parts of Orange County.
Operation Hot Lunch and the Takedown
The investigation, code-named Operation Hot Lunch, ran for about six months and brought together a multi-agency task force of local, state and federal partners. Prosecutors say investigators recovered 24 firearms and one kilogram of cocaine over the course of the probe. A coordinated sweep on May 21, 2024, turned up more than 11 kilograms of cocaine, roughly 90 grams of fentanyl, seven guns, high-capacity magazines, scales and packaging materials, about $45,000 in cash, 10 vehicles and the food truck that served as the hub, according to the Times Union.
Co-defendants and Sentences
Several others tied to the network have already pleaded guilty or been sentenced. Owen Beckford, also known as Marvin Ottley, admitted operating as a major trafficker and received a 15-year state prison term, Patch reported. Prosecutors say Andre Smith, identified as a firearms supplier, was sentenced to 15 years, and William Pulley, accused of arranging weapons shipments from North Carolina, received a 12-year sentence in separate Orange County press releases.
Legal Specifics and Forfeitures
Salmon entered his plea in October 2024. Court papers and the Orange County District Attorney's Office list charges including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, and conspiracy in the Second and Fourth Degrees. As part of the deal, Salmon agreed to forfeit a vehicle and the food truck used in the scheme, and prosecutors recommended the 12-year term plus five years of post-release supervision.
"The spread of illegal narcotics and firearms poses a real and present danger to our community," District Attorney David M. Hoovler said in a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Local officials credited the multi-agency investigation with dismantling what prosecutors characterized as one of the largest narcotics-and-gun trafficking operations in Orange County history and said work tied to dozens of related indictments remains ongoing, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
