Jury seating area - file photo. — Jury seating area - File Photo.

ORANGE COUNTY, NY—In a significant development within the “Operation Hide in Plain Sight” narcotics investigation, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that Taino Lopez, 26, of Port Jervis, has been sentenced to 7-14 years in state prison. This sentencing took place on Thursday, July 26, following Lopez’s guilty plea to Conspiracy in the Second Degree on January 4, 2024.

Lopez admitted to participating in a conspiracy with Angelica “Jelly” Rodriguez and Michael Rodriguez involving Class A felonies, specifically Criminal Possession and Sale of a Controlled Substance. The operation has been a collaborative effort by the City of Middletown Police and the Orange County Drug Taskforce, revealing extensive cocaine trafficking activities in the area.

Angelica Rodriguez, 40, of Middletown, received a 10-year prison sentence on February 27, 2024, followed by three years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to charges including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. Michael Rodriguez, 49, from Yonkers, also sentenced on January 4, faces a similar 10-year term plus post-release supervision for his involvement in cocaine trafficking and illegal firearms possession.

The investigation, which lasted over two years, intensified with court-approved eavesdropping after initial methods fell short. A raid on Michael Rodriguez’s Yonkers home on July 26, 2023, led to the seizure of over 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, significant amounts of cash, firearms, and other paraphernalia, underlining the scale of this narcotics network.

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