Operation Final Blow Shatters Narcotics Network in Port Jervis, Seizing Over 165g of Fentanyl

When law enforcement raided homes and vehicles across three states in September 2022, they didn’t just seize drugs—they cracked open a sprawling network that had been flooding the Hudson Valley with deadly fentanyl. Operation Final Blow, a four-month undercover investigation, ended with the arrest of six major players and the seizure of enough narcotics to kill thousands. The operation, led by the City of Port Jervis Police Department and backed by a coalition of over a dozen agencies, exposed how a small border town became a critical node in a regional drug pipeline stretching from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

Here's the thing: Port Jervis isn’t just another upstate town. It sits where New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania meet—a geographic sweet spot for traffickers moving drugs across state lines with minimal scrutiny. For months, investigators used wiretaps, confidential informants, and controlled buys to map out the hierarchy. What they found wasn’t a lone dealer operating out of a basement. It was a coordinated supply chain, with suppliers in Port Washington, distributors in Deerpark, and stash houses tucked into Mount Hope and Monticello. And the product? Pure, lethal, and increasingly common.

The Seizure: A Deadly Inventory

On the day the warrants were executed, agents walked away with two kilograms of cocaine, 74 grams of heroin, and 165 grams of fentanyl—enough to make more than 800,000 lethal doses if cut at typical street potency. They also confiscated 1,600 ecstasy pills, 235 oxycodone tablets, seven unregistered firearms, and $153,690 in cash. Vehicles weren’t spared: eleven cars, four motorcycles, and two ATVs were seized, many used as mobile distribution units. One SUV, found parked near a school playground, had a hidden compartment lined with fentanyl packets.

"This wasn’t about petty street sales," said Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler at the press conference. "This was wholesale distribution feeding an addiction crisis that’s claimed lives across Orange and Sullivan Counties. We’re talking about people who knew exactly what they were selling—and who didn’t care who it killed."

Who Was Targeted? The Key Players

Five defendants face the most serious charges in Orange County. Wayne Smith, 42, of Deerpark; Joseph Bruno, 43, of Port Jervis; and Christian Shomo, 33, of Mount Hope, are each accused of selling over four ounces of cocaine on September 7, 2022. Jose Parra, 61, of Port Washington, faces the same charge for a sale on August 14, 2022. All face up to 20 years in state prison.

Meanwhile, Tyara Porter, 47, of Monticello, was arrested after agents found over four ounces of fentanyl in her home—enough to qualify for a second-degree possession charge in Sullivan County. She’s also charged with conspiracy in Orange County, suggesting she was a logistical hub for distribution.

But the reach didn’t stop there. The Pike County District Attorney's Office, led by Raymond Tonkin, is prosecuting five more individuals: Alice Miller, Richard Smith, Scott Walker, Bobby Jakubowski, and Max Hechinger. Their charges range from possession with intent to sell to money laundering, and their ties to the main network are still being unraveled.

Why This Operation Mattered

What made Operation Final Blow different wasn’t just the scale of the bust—it was the coordination. For the first time in Orange County, state police, federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI’s Safe Streets Taskforce, and even the U.S. Marshals Service worked side by side with local departments from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The New York State Police Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team provided surveillance tech and tactical support, while the Sussex County Guns, Gang and Narcotics Taskforce tracked vehicle movements across state lines.

"This is how you fight modern drug trafficking," said Orange County Sheriff Carl E. Dubois. "You don’t wait for bodies to pile up. You go after the supply before it hits the streets."

The Human Cost Behind the Numbers

Behind every gram of fentanyl seized is a family that lost someone. In 2021, Orange County recorded 112 overdose deaths—nearly 70% linked to fentanyl. The year before, Sullivan County saw a 40% spike in emergency responses to suspected opioid overdoses. Many of those calls came from the same neighborhoods where the suspects lived. One mother in Port Jervis told local reporters last fall that her 22-year-old son died after buying what he thought was oxycodone. It was fentanyl. He never knew the difference.

"We’ve been screaming about this for years," said Dr. Lisa Chen, a public health researcher at SUNY New Paltz. "But until law enforcement starts treating drug trafficking like the public health emergency it is—targeting the supply chain, not just the users—we’re just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."

What’s Next?

The prosecutions are just beginning. Court dates for the primary defendants are scheduled for early 2023. Prosecutors say they’re still analyzing digital evidence from seized phones and computers, which could lead to more charges. Meanwhile, community outreach programs in Port Jervis and Monticello are being expanded with state funding to offer free naloxone kits and addiction counseling.

"This isn’t over," warned City of Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden. "We took out a branch. The tree is still standing. But now we know where the roots are."

And that’s what makes this more than a bust. It’s a blueprint.