Two more alleged players in Newburgh's sweeping "Operation Powder Burn" case have now pleaded guilty, tightening the net around what prosecutors call the largest gun trafficking ring in Orange County history. Newburgh resident Shomaray Lane, 33, and Dijoun Lawrence, 23, of Georgia both admitted their roles in Orange County Court this month and are slated for state sentencing hearings in August. Their pleas are the latest fallout from an eight-month undercover probe that authorities say pushed guns and narcotics into the Hudson Valley from out of state.
According to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office, the investigation began in December 2024 and led to charges against 20 defendants, with backup from the ATF, DEA, New York State Police and several local departments. Prosecutors said undercover officers carried out dozens of controlled buys and that search warrants in Newburgh, the Bronx, Queens and Poughkeepsie turned up firearms, cocaine, fentanyl and roughly $65,000 in cash, figures reported by Patch.
Both recent pleas were entered in Orange County Court. Lane pleaded guilty on June 12 to first degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and, under his agreement, is expected to receive nine years in state prison followed by five years of post release supervision when he is sentenced on Aug. 5. Lawrence pleaded guilty last Friday to first degree criminal sale of a firearm and fourth degree conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 12. Prosecutors say he admitted supplying firearms from Georgia as part of an ongoing conspiracy, according to Daily Voice.
How the ring operated
Prosecutors described an "iron pipeline" that pushed handguns and assault style weapons from Georgia and Pennsylvania into Newburgh, where they were allegedly sold alongside narcotics. Investigators said the operation used a South Street location in Newburgh as a hub and relied on common carriers such as FedEx, along with in person transfers, to move weapons into Orange County, according to reporting by WAMC.
What officials said
Law enforcement officials cast the case as a regional public safety threat rather than a single city problem. As WAMC reported, ATF New York Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller said the flow of illegal firearms and narcotics into communities poses a serious danger and noted that investigators used crime gun intelligence to connect some of the seized weapons to shootings.
What comes next
Lane and Lawrence are due back in Orange County Court for their August sentencings, while the broader Powder Burn case keeps grinding forward. The district attorney's original announcement identified Christopher Brown as the alleged central figure, with potential exposure of up to 30 years in prison, and listed several co defendants facing possible decades behind bars, underscoring how long the legal road could be for the 20 people charged. The full announcement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office lays out the charges in detail.
Local context
The Powder Burn takedown is one in a series of multi agency probes in the Hudson Valley aimed at gun and drug networks that do not respect county lines. Prosecutors and local outlets have linked recent long running investigations to a pattern of out of state firearms flowing into the region. Earlier this year, Hoodline covered a related Newburgh case known as "Operation Hot Lunch" and the sentences that followed; that outlet reported on the Operation Hot Lunch case.
