2 kilos of heroin found

Mark Gerlach

The Town of Cornwall Police Department arrested six men on August 28 at a Quaker Avenue residence.

About two kilos of heroin were discovered at the house, which Franklin Reyes, 42, of Cornwall rented about a week-and-a-half ago, according to police. Police say the house was rented for the sole purpose of operating a heroin mill. Reyes has lived in the area for over a decade, and this is said to be his first run-in with local police.

“When the search warrant was executed they had already decked out 1,000 decks of it and had it packaged for sale,” said Chief Hazard in a press release.

The seized heroin is estimated to have a street value of $2 million.

Also arrested were New York City residents 36-year-old Juan Perez, 28-year-old Luis Miranda Cruz, 35-year-old Juan Deverez-Santana, 23-year-old Ramon Herrera-Fabre and Elvin Cortorreal-Solis.

All six of the suspects were arraigned before Cornwall Town Justice Thomson and remanded to Orange County Jail without bail.

Hazard said the suspects chose Cornwall because they believed it was a good place to cut up and package the heroin. “It basically could happen anywhere,” Hazard said.

“Heroin is a pretty widespread epidemic right now.”

Hazard went on to say police have seen heroin cases increase dramatically as of late.

According to Hazard, the bust is not related to the large crop of marijuana that was discovered recently in a wooded area near the New Windsor border.

“I don't think the two are connected,” said Hazard of the incidents. “It's definitely a wakeup call for us to have such large quantities right in town.”

Hazard also said he does not see a trend between drug activity and the lagging economy.

The Town of Cornwall Police Department was assisted by New York State Police, the City of Newburgh Police Department and the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson Police Department.