DA Hoovler announces guilty plea in Port Jervis narcotics case

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler this week announced that Shariff Gual, 37, of Deerpark, pled guilty in Orange County Court to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree. The DA’s office said he could face face up to 10 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced on December 6. Gual admitted to possessing “eight or more ounces of cocaine,” per the announcement.

The arrest was made possible by the combined efforts of the City of Port Jervis Police Department, Orange County Drug Task Force, the Pike County Criminal Investigations Division of the Pike County Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office, and the Sussex County New Jersey Prosecutors Office

Their joint investigation found that Gual had been working with Reginald Francis, who has been arrested and charged with narcotics offenses in Milford, Pennsylvania, and sold and possessed cocaine to resell to others within Orange County, New York, Montague, New Jersey, and Milford, Pennsylvania.

The team issued multiple search warrants at locations in Port Jervis, Deerpark, Montague, and Milford, which reportedly resulted in the seizure of about 940 grams cocaine, a loaded handgun, and roughly $1,200 in cash.

Other law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation included the City of Middletown Police Department, the Town of Deerpark Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group, the Pike County Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Office, Hudson Crime Analysis Center, the Pennsylvania State Police, and U.S. Probation.

“High-level narcotics traffickers prey on those addicted to the poisons they peddle,” said DA Hoovler. “Those same traffickers should take heed that law enforcement will dedicate the resources necessary to identify them and see that they are brought to justice. This case is yet another example of the progress that can be made when law enforcement works together. I am thankful for the resources that the City of Port Jervis Police Department and the Orange County Drug Taskforce put into this investigation, and the many others that they conduct with my office. I am also grateful for the cooperation and dedication shown by all the police agencies and prosecutor offices, both within our State, and in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, who aided in this investigation.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.