Upstate Man Sentenced After Police Find Cocaine During Thruway Stop

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — On Tuesday, Julio Lewis of Schenectady was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by three years of post-release supervision in connection with his previous guilty plea in Orange County Court to criminal possession of a controlled substance, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced.

New York State police stopped Lewis’s car on the New York State Thruway Jan. 8 for various traffic
violations. During the traffic stop, they said, they saw about 186 grams of cocaine in plain view on the floor of the vehicle.

At the plea proceedings, the 34-year-old admitted to possessing over a half ounce of cocaine, prosecutors said.

Hoovler thanked the New York State Police.

“It is through proactive policing and the dedication of career prosecutors that we are able to disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into Orange County,” said Hoovler. “Let this case, like the many others that have come before, stand as a warning to drug dealers: your criminal business is not welcome here and you will be held accountable for your actions. We will continue to focus on dismantling the narcotics trade that endangers our community.”