30 people arrested in months-long drug, weapons bust

On Wednesday, May 30, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released the details of a six-month-long, multijurisdictional investigation into a narcotics and weapons trafficking operation centered around a food truck in the city of Newburgh.

According to the announcement, 30 people were arrested in connection with the case on charges ranging from conspiracy in the second degree to criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree and criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree. Three other suspects have arrest warrants issued but are pending capture. The majority of those arrested reportedly lived in the Newburgh area, but a few were local, including Matthew Green, 37, of Monroe; Brian Scott, 39, of New Hampton; and Christopher Selfridge, 39, of Montgomery. The latter three men were each charged with conspiracy in the second degree and released to reappear in court at a later date.

The investigation resulted in the recovery of 31 weapons, including an untraceable “ghost gun,” an assault rifle, and several long guns; 11.5 kilograms of cocaine and at least 90 grams of fentanyl; 11 vehicles, including the food truck; and $45,000 in U.S. currency.

The case began in November 2023 under the direction of Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigator John Kitsos. According to the sheriff’s office, after Kitsos realized the magnitude of the case, he brought on a senior investigator from the ATF and investigator Michael Decker from the county district attorney’s office. In total, the case included members of the Orange County Drug Task Force; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office; the City of Middletown Police Department; New York State Police; the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department; and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Newburgh resident Kirkland Salmon was at the center of four different conspiracies to traffic narcotics and firearms in Orange County. Salmon was allegedly supplied with cocaine by two different narcotics suppliers (Owen Beckford and Joshua Arnold) to distribute from his Newburgh-based food truck. Salmon was also allegedly supplied with firearms to resell in Orange County by Poughkeepsie resident Andre Smith. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement reportedly learned of Beckford’s and Arnold’s narcotics distribution organizations, both of which distributed cocaine in the city of Newburgh and elsewhere in Orange County.

Sheriff Paul Arteta said, “The success of this investigation was largely due to the dedication and cooperation of all 39 law enforcement agencies involved. These dangerous and illegal firearms cause havoc and devastation in our communities. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to push resources toward combating these serious crimes and holding these criminals accountable.”

District Attorney David Hoovler thanked the agencies involved in the investigation, as well as those who assisted with the arrests on May 21: City of Newburgh Police Department; Town of Newburgh Police Department; Town of Woodbury Police Department; Town of Montgomery Police Department; Town of Wallkill Police Department; and the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson Police Department.

“The scope and scale of these interweaving conspiracies underscores the importance of dedicated, long-term investigations to disrupt and dismantle operations that traffic in narcotics and guns,” said DA Hoovler. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we have reaffirmed our commitment to keeping our streets safe from the scourge of drugs and the violence that is too often found in the wake. As I have said time and again, if you choose to bring illegal firearms into Orange County, we will find you and we will hold you accountable. We will not rest while high-level narcotics dealers attempt to bring dangerous drugs and guns into our county. We will utilize every resource available to seek out those drivers of crime and to hold them responsible for their deadly business.”

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Alexis Gregory and Amanda M. Bettinelli.