2 Hudson Valley Drug Dealers Sent to Jail

Two alleged Hudson Valley drug dealers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

On Monday in Orange County Court, 36-year-old Jmin Ward of Middletown was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found with eight ounces of crack-cocaine.

In Dec. 2017, Ward admitted he had cocaine in his Middletown home on Woodlake drive. He pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The cocaine was discovered when City of Middletown police officers, aided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Operations Group, executed a search warrant at Ward’s residence in the early morning hours on April 20, 2017.

Also on Monday in Orange County Court, 42-year-old Rakeem Whatley of Highland Falls was sentenced to five years in prison of possessing 3.7 grams of cocaine.

In Dec. 2017, Whatley pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Whatley admitted that he had cocaine in his apartment on Main Street in Highland Falls.

The cocaine was discovered when members of the Town of Highlands Police Department and the Village of Highland Falls Police Department executed a search warrant at Whatley’s apartment.

“Narcotics continue to be the number one driver of crimes throughout Orange County,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said in a press release. “One key to successful narcotics enforcement is cooperation and coordination between various law enforcement agencies. Narcotics enforcement within small insular communities can be particularly challenging, but is possible when agencies share resources and information.”