Orange County Court Sentences Newburgh Dealer to Ten Years

Kelvin Lagares, 35, of the City of Newburgh was sentenced in Orange County Court to ten years in prison on December 11, 2025, followed by five years of post release supervision, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on December 23. Lagares previously pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, admitting at plea proceedings to illegally possessing over four ounces of fentanyl and cocaine.

The prosecution outlined an investigation by the Orange County Drug Task Force into the possession and sale of narcotics in and around Newburgh. According to court filings and statements made in court, undercover officers made controlled purchases of narcotics from Lagares in February 2025. Investigators then obtained a judicially authorized search warrant for Lagares's residence in the City of Newburgh and recovered narcotics and other tools of the drug trade.

District Attorney Hoovler praised the investigative work that led to the arrest and stressed the broader public safety implications. "The flow of fentanyl into and around our communities is a critical public safety issue," he said. "The only way to interrupt the deadly spread of these drugs is through dedicated narcotics interdictions by professionals like those officers assigned to the Orange County Drug Task Force. The significant sentence imposed by the court in this case highlights the peril that drug dealers like this defendant create and foster in Orange County. The only appropriate response to such criminal acts is to incarcerate and remove these offenders from our communities."

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory. District Attorney Hoovler also thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for its assistance in the investigation.

For Orange County residents, the conviction represents an example of coordinated local law enforcement targeting distribution of deadly synthetic opioids. The investigation and sentence may provide temporary relief to neighborhoods affected by trafficking, while underscoring the continuing challenge fentanyl poses to public health and safety. A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.