In a first for Ulster County, an alleged drug dealer has been charged with criminally negligent homicide following an overdose death; in this case, it was heroin laced with fentanyl that killed a woman in May of 2018.
On Monday, Monique S. Dibble, 33, of Marlboro, was taken into custody following a lengthy investigation by the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT), together with New York State Police, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Marlborough Police and the Ulster County District Attorney. In addition to criminally negligent homicide, Dibble was charged with several counts of sale and possession of a controlled substance.
According to police, the investigation began shortly after the death of Celina Maldonado, 25, of Plattekill in May of 2018 from a heroin overdose. URGENT says it developed information suggesting the heroin contained fentanyl, a powerful painkiller sometimes added to increase potency, and that the source was Dibble. An investigation was begun and over the next several months, attempts were made to infiltrate her narcotics sales network. Beginning in early 2019, URGENT, with assistance from the New York State Police, began periodically purchasing heroin and cocaine from Dibble, with the final purchase conducted recently.
According to police, fentanyl was found in three of the seven purchases. At this point, police say further evidence was found directly linking Dibble to the sale of the heroin Maldonado overdosed and died from.
The investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed.
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