Middletown Woman Admits Trafficking Drugs

MIDDLETOWN, NY — A Middletown woman, who was accused of trafficking drugs, admitted her guilt Thursday.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said Angelica “Jelly” Rodriguez, 39, of Middletown, entered a plea of guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second- and fourth-degree conspiracy.

Under the plea announcement, Hoovler’s office will recommend she be sentenced to an aggregate term of 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of post-release supervision when she returns to court Feb. 26.

Prosecutors said the City of Middletown Police Department engaged in a two-year-long investigation into cocaine trafficking in and around the city involving Rodriguez.

After conventional investigative means failed to reveal evidence showing the entire extent of the narcotics conspiracy surrounding Rodriguez, the district attorney’s officer applied for permissionm to use court-ordered eavesdropping in the investigation.

The eavesdropping discovered that the same suppliers of cocaine who were providing Rodriguez and her co-conspirators with cocaine to sell, where also supplying narcotics to those in Port Jervis.

Michael Rodriguez is accused of supplying cocaine to narcotics dealers in the cities of Middletown and Port Jervis and possessing two illegal handguns.

On July 26, a search warrant was executed at his Yonkers residence, which resulted in the seizure of 1,516 grams of cocaine, $165,509 in United States currency, scales, a momey counter, an unlicensed Ruger .380 caliber pistol, an unlicensed Bond Arms .357 caliber handgun, a vacuum sealer, digital scales and jewelry estimated to have a value of about $50,000.

Prosecutors said Michael Rodriguez regularly supplied cocine to Angelica Rodriguez, who would sell it in and around Middletown, and Taino Lopez who would sell it in and around Port Jervis.

Hoovler said high-level drug trafficking can only be interrupted by coordinated and cooperative efforts of law enforcement agencies who come together to fight the scourage of narcotics.

“The significant sentence anticipated in this case should serve as a deterrent to others who seek to profit from selling drugs,” he said.