Morning Drug Raid in Poughkeepsie, 20-Year-Old Suspect Found With Fentanyl

Law enforcement in Dutchess County has been incredibly active over the last number of months doing all they can to combat the flow of illegal drugs in the area, namely fentanyl. Fentanyl has become synonymous nationwide as the drug is incredibly powerful and has been linked to numerous overdose events due to it being cut into other illegal drugs like heroin.

This brings us to the present day where late last week the Dutchess County Drug Task Force engaged in and executed their latest raid in their ongoing efforts to combat the drug epidemic.

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Dutchess County Drug Task Force Morning Raid in Poughkeepsie

On January 18, members of the Dutchess County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence located on Harrison Street in the City of Poughkeepsie. The warrant was granted through the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office, which has been working closely with the Drug Task Force in the drug war.

In addition, the DA's Office has also worked closely with both the City of Poughkeepsie Police Neighborhood Recovery Unit and the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force.

When the Drug Task Force executed the warrant, they immediately began searching the premises and were successful in finding fentanyl and much more.

According to the press release issued by the Dutchess County Government, the Task Force seized...

Fentanyl, numerous amounts of ammunition, a high capacity drum style magazine for a Glock handgun and other handgun magazines...

The Drug Task was also successful in apprehending and arresting a suspect. That suspect was identified as 20-year-old, Joseph T. Anderson. Officially, Anderson was placed under arrest for...

Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree with intent to sell, both class B felonies.

Additional charges are also pending, according to the press release.

Potential Penalties for Charges

Regardless of the pending charges, Anderson is facing the potential for heavy time behind bars because of the felony charges. Possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree in New York carries a maximum penalty of 25 years if convicted and Anderson is staring at two 3rd degree possession charges; simple math, that's 50 years.

Now the potential for discretion also exists as the penalty can change based on some factors. For instance, the penalty can be lessened or shortened depending on whether or not the accused possesses a prior criminal history. A minimum sentence with a clean record would be 5 years, while a minimum with a prior record would be 10. The potential for a fine also exists, to the tune of $30,000.

The press release states that Anderson is currently being held as he awaits his arraignment, which will take place at a later date and time.