'Operation Final Blow' Sting Lands Kingpin Lengthy Prison Stretch

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — A multi-state, monthslong drug sting came to fruition with a lengthy prison sentence for a Port Jervis drug trafficker.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that 46-year-old Joseph Bruno was sentenced to six to 18 years in prison on his guilty plea to second degree conspiracy and 10 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of post-release supervision on a guilty plea to second degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently for an aggregate term of 10 to 18 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision.

As part of his plea, Bruno agreed to forfeit $55,364 and three vehicles as "fruits of his crimes."

Bruno was arrested as a result of a more than four-month-long investigation conceived to disrupt major narcotics trafficking in the City of Port Jervis and surrounding areas, including Pike County, Pennsylvania.

"Law enforcement remains focused on identifying and arresting large scale narcotics dealers in Orange County," Hoovler said. "Operation Final Blow helped to disrupt the flow of narcotics being trafficked in the western part of Orange County by bringing the higher-level dealers, including this defendant, to justice. I applaud the cooperation amongst the varied law enforcement agencies who conducted a careful investigation that led to the conviction of this defendant. My Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of drug dealers who peddle their poison in Orange County."

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Final Blow," was initially started by the City of Port Jervis Police Department, the Orange County Drug Task Force, the New York State Police Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Pike County Criminal Investigations Division of the Pike County District Attorney’s Office, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The operation included the use of court-ordered eavesdropping, as well as the execution of seventeen search warrants.

Other law enforcement agencies who provided crucial aid in the investigation included the Town of Deerpark Police Department, the City of Middletown Police Department, the Town of Wallkill Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, the Sussex County Guns, Gang and Narcotics Taskforce, and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office. Federal agencies who aided in the operation included Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI's Safe Streets Taskforce and the United States Marshall's Service Fugitive Task Force.

Search warrants executed during the investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, 74 grams of heroin, 165 grams of fentanyl, 1,600 ecstasy pills and 235 pills containing oxycodone, as well as seven illegally possessed firearms and $153,690. Eleven automobiles, four motorcycles and two ATVs were also taken into evidence.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked all the state, local and federal law enforcement officials who aided in the investigation and eventual capture of Bruno.

SEE ALSO: 'Operation Final Blow' Leads To Guilty Plea Of Major Trafficker: DA