7 arrested in Hudson Valley narcotics trafficking case

HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Attorney General Letitia James announced that seven people were arrested in a narcotics trafficking investigation. These people are accused of illegally selling cocaine and counterfeit oxycodone pills with fentanyl in Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, and Westchester counties.

Shamique Delaine, 33, of Poughkeepsie, Jonte Hatcher, 41, of Poughkeepsie, Romell Hearn, 45, of Poughkeepsie, Nicole Kane, 36, of Highland, Daquan Killian, 32, of Poughkeepsie, and Dwan Scafe, 36, of Poughkeepsie, are part of a 155-count indictment. Damian Cunningham, 40, of Mount Vernon, was charged with trafficking cocaine.

The Attorney General's office said its Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) seized more than 10,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills worth about $75,000, over eight kilograms of cocaine worth about $200,000, three firearms, and about $14,000 in cash in this investigation. One of the firearms was a ghost gun.

The OCTF's investigation determined that Kane bought cocaine and oxycodone pills containing fentanyl from Killian, Hearn, and Hatcher before selling them in Highland. It is also alleged that Hearn and Hatcher sold the cocaine and pills in Poughkeepsie. Hatcher also allegedly sold them in Orange County.

Hearn allegedly worked with Scafe to store, supply, and distribute cocaine and pills in Dutchess County. The OCTF believes that Scafe sold a kilogram of cocaine to Cunningham which police subsequently seized during a traffic stop.

When search warrants were executed in August of last year, the OCTF reported finding a loaded firearm and about 450 grams of cocaine which were seized from Hatcher and Delaine. The investigation also resulted in finding a ghost gun sold by Kane.