A nine-month drug investigation across the Hudson Valley and beyond ended with what prosecutors are calling a staggering fentanyl haul - enough, they say, to make roughly 400,000 potentially lethal doses. The sweeping operation led to 17 people being charged and coordinated searches in multiple communities across New York and New Jersey.
According to Daily Voice, prosecutors dubbed the case Operation Slow Motion. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office led the effort with the Orange County drug task force, the ATF, DEA, New York State Police, the NYPD and several New Jersey agencies. Investigators said the probe started in August 2025 and wrapped on April 29 with coordinated searches in Middletown, Central Valley, New York City, Edgewater, N.J., and Leonia, N.J. Authorities reported seizing about 16 kilograms of narcotics, 17 illegally possessed firearms, over $250,000 in cash and four vehicles.
The haul, by the numbers
Prosecutors said the seized fentanyl was enough to manufacture around 400,000 lethal doses and that roughly 16 kilograms of narcotics in total were taken out of the operation. In addition to the drugs, investigators impounded four vehicles, recovered more than $250,000 in cash and pulled 17 firearms off the street. Officials noted that while 17 defendants have been charged, two additional people tied to the investigation are still being sought.
Why it matters
Illicit fentanyl is notoriously deadly in tiny amounts, and synthetic opioids remain at the center of the nation’s overdose crisis. Data from the CDC show fentanyl and other illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids account for a large share of recent overdose deaths. Federal agencies have also been announcing a series of large fentanyl seizures in recent months, including regional cases that removed hundreds of thousands of potentially lethal doses from circulation, highlighting how quickly supply can move from stash houses into neighborhoods. The DEA has detailed several of those recent busts.
Charges and suspects
Authorities said 17 people were charged in the operation. Named defendants include Nikye Bee, Pedro Pabon Jr., Devin Paul, Robert Howard, Jonathan Tucciarone, Wesley Carrington, Jesika Pollidore, Branden Best, Ollie Dolson, Hector James, John Muller, Dominic Scarano, Richard Banks and Juwan Dolson, along with two other individuals who were not publicly identified in charging documents. Investigators pointed to 52-year-old Zachary Lewis of Central Valley as a key figure in the network. Prosecutors said Lewis was remanded without bail and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. The alleged offenses include first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy, among other counts, according to local reporting.
What’s next
The cases are expected to move through the local court system as prosecutors lay out their evidence and investigators continue working to locate the two people still at large. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the investigation or those individuals to contact the Orange County District Attorney’s Office or their local police department.
