(Ulster County Sheriff’s Department)
Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) report the arrest of Farrad H. Thompson, 30, of Paterson, New Jersey, following a long-term investigation into heroin and fentanyl trafficking from Paterson, NJ to Ulster County.
Over the course of this month, members of URGENT have recovered over 1200 “decks” (baggies containing about 1/10 of a gram) of heroin and fentanyl and several ounces of crack cocaine, following the execution of search warrants. Investigators believe Thompson is a supplier of the recovered narcotics.
On Saturday, July 11 at about 9:30 p.m., members of URGENT, sheriff’s uniformed and K-9 patrols conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Thompson was a passenger. A search of the vehicle yielded 400 decks of heroin laced with fentanyl, over twenty grams of crack cocaine and over $1,000 in cash.
Thompson was charged with the felonies of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (six counts) and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.
Thompson was issued appearance tickets returnable to the Towns of Ulster and Lloyd Courts on a later date.
URGENT was assisted with the investigation by the Town of Lloyd Police and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Paterson.
The following agencies have members assigned to URGENT: Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Town of Shandaken Police, Ulster County Probation, Town of Plattekill Police, Village of Ellenville Police and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
This individual was arrested and charged with two felonies, after being caught with 400 decks of heroin laced with fentanyl.
The individual was “issued appearance tickets returnable to the Towns of Ulster and Lloyd Courts at a later time.”
Really?
That’s it?
Is this how we hope to prevent the deaths of users of these lethal drugs? By issuing tickets when someone is caught with 400 decks of heroin laced fantanyl?
Appearance tickets are court orders to appear in court on a certain day and time. They are not like traffic tickets, which usually require that you pay a fine. If he does not show up, he will be arrested an brought to court. He is being CHARGED with six counts of one felony and a second felony. That’s seven felony charges.
However, he has not been convicted of the felonies, so let’s reserve our judgement for now.
I doubt there are many families that have lost sons and daughters to heroin/fentanyl overdoses who are content to see this guy merely issued a ticket to appear. This dealer may be out on the street selling his lethal drugs right now, and endangering people. The public has a need to protected from people like this. And yes Bill, we all recognize that this guy is innocent until proven guilty. So you can reserve your smug judgement for now.
RM, I don’t think I am being smug by suggesting that we reserve our judgement until a trial. Try to avoid personal attacks, if you can. I have a question for you, though: if you, as you say, “recognize that this guy is innocent until proven guilty,” why do you refer to him as a dealer in your comments? How did you arrive at that conclusion if he is innocent until proven guilty?
Also, as someone who has known people that have overdosed, I am absolutely sure that families of those who have fallen to addiction would want to know that the RIGHT PEOPLE are punished for their crimes, and that we are not recklessly putting anyone away that is busted for possession.
What happened to the driver of the car in which Thompson was riding? According to this brief article a search of the vehicle lead to finding a lot of drugs (certainly more than a mere user would have). Usually it is the driver that takes the most responsibility for the contents of his/her car.
Good question, Bill. Why didn’t the article report the driver’s fate? Perhaps the driver was cooperating with the Task Force in some capacity? The writer’s excluding even mention of the driver is curious, and may be intentional.
Why do I refer to this guy as a dealer? For the very same reason you write: “a search of the vehicle lead to finding a lots of drugs (certainly more than a mere user would have.”) You’re clearly implying the guy was a dealer. As any reasonable person would. And you can bet money that when they found this guy with 400 decks of heroin and crack the cops didn’t think he was a mere user either.
Your are right. I am making some faulty assumptions there. However, I would like to wait until this guy either pleads guilty or is found guilty by a judge or jury before I am confident thinking that individual is the dealer. Clearly that quantity of drugs is not merely for personal use, but we do not know who is responsible, unless we are willing to condemn him based on, “Investigators believe Thompson is a supplier of the recovered narcotics.” Is that all we need to call him a dealer? Or can we just wait and not rush to judgement? Let the police and prosecutors (in this case it will be both state and federal) do their job and collect all the proof.
Okay, Bill. We agree then that this guy is innocent until proven guilty. Yet calling him a dealer is an acceptable way of restating the Task’s Force’s opinion. And who could reasonably argue with their judgement? They arrested and charged a guy they found with 400 decks of heroin laced with fentanyl. What else would they conclude? Objecting to referring to this guy as a “dealer” seems to me to be unnecessarily politically correct.
I do however understand your implication that this guy may have a reasonable defense. He could argue that he didn’t possess the drugs in question, and may not have even known about the presence of any drugs in the vehicle he was a passenger in. Yes, this is possible. If not very likely. Yet the truth will hopefully be revealed in a fair trial. If the process even gets that far, which I doubt very much that it will. My prediction is that Mr. Thompson will face the legal music, agree to a plea agreement, and be sentenced to time in a NYS prison.
I trust that you’ll agree that it would be helpful if The Saugerties Times, and other media, follow-up on this case. If this guy is guilty, he needs to be be put away. And we should all know if he has been put away.
We all want to get the poison off of our streets, BIll. Enough of our kids have died.
Agreed, RM, that we need to get these awful drugs off our streets. It is overwhelming our town. And I do hope The Saugerties Times continues to investigate and report on this story.