POUGHKEEPSIE – Four defendants charged in an illegal drug and gun trafficking operation in the Arlington section of the Town of Poughkeepsie have been allowed to plead to lesser charges.
The kingpin in the operation, Muayad “Junior” Qader, has yet to be sentenced.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James came to Poughkeepsie on February 14 to hold a news conference regarding the arrests of several individuals who were part of an illegal drug and gun trafficking operation headquartered at the Valero gas station on Route 55 near Arlington High School. The defendants were arraigned in Dutchess County Court just hours prior to the conference.
Four of the defendants in the drug case have pled guilty and have been sentenced, with the exception of Qader and one other defendant. A third died before being sentenced.
A the conference Attorney General James said in part, “The individuals arrested today operated a dangerous network that trafficked untraceable ghost guns and flooded New York communities with fentanyl.” The eighteen-month joint investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Special Investigations Unit – Hudson Valley (SIU-HV) and Troop K – Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (K-VGNET) centered on the activities of Muayad “Junior” Qader, 34, a Town of Poughkeepsie resident. Qader, according to the OAG, sold firearms and drugs out of the Valero gas station on Route 55 across from Arlington High School in LaGrange and the investigation began in April 2022. Qader worked at the station which is operated by his uncle. He was also accused of selling drugs from his Janet Drive residence in the Town of Poughkeepsie where he lived with his wife and children.
The original firearms investigation resulted in four indictments against four defendants; Verbank resident Jason Knapp, 43 was accused of supplying Qader with weapons, as did Joseph “Joey” Silverman, 30, arrested in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and LaGrange resident Louis Gonzalez, 53, who is said to have supplied Qader with firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Qader originally faced a 136-count indictment including the following:
- Three counts of felony conspiracy 4th degree
- Two misdemeanor counts of conspiracy 5th degree
- Two violent felony counts of criminal sale of a firearm 1st degree
- Three violent felony counts of criminal sale of a firearm in the 2nd degree
- 38 counts of violent felony criminal sale of a firearm 3rd degree
- 14 felony counts of criminal sale of a ghost gun in the 2nd degree
- Two felony counts of criminal sale of an unfinished frame or receiver 2nd degree
- 14 counts of felony criminal possession of a weapon 2nd degree
- 19 felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon 3rd degree
- Three felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon 3rd degree
- 17 counts of criminal possession of a weapon 3rd degree
- 19 counts of criminal possession of a weapon
Of the original 134 felony charges and two misdemeanor charges, the OAG allowed Qader to plead guilty to a pair felony charges in the gun case on May 8, 2024; felony conspiracy and felony criminal sale of a firearm. In exchange for the bargain of pleading to a small fraction of the charges, Qader agreed to testify against his co-defendant Jason Knapp. The co-defendant was the only one of the 10 defendants in the combined cases to go to trial and Qader testified against him, helping to convict Knapp of 90 felonies related to illegal firearms.
The illegal drug operation began in January 2023, when investigators uncovered Qader’s drug trafficking operation, in which he sourced counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl from several individuals in Dutchess County, according to Attorney General James. The pills were dyed and stamped to resemble prescription oxycodone, but contained only fentanyl, “putting users in grave danger” said the attorney general. The investigation revealed a drug trafficking network in which Poughkeepsie resident Curtis Holland, 32, would supply pills to 27-year-old Isaiah Atkins of Poughkeepsie, who would then supply Qader’s primary source, Aaron Steppe, a 29-year-old Poughkeepsie resident. Steppe would meet Qader at the Valero station, transporting the pills in his car with his roommate, Christopher Evans, 34, of Poughkeepsie, or his girlfriend, Angel Williams, age 24. The investigation also revealed that 39-year-old Stephen Gary of LaGrange supplied counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to Qader at the Valero Gas Station.
During the investigation, the defendants and their co-conspirators frequently utilized coded and cryptic terminology in an attempt to disguise their illicit activities, referring to the counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl as “erks,” “urks,” and “percs.”
Despite learning about the sale of deadly drugs in January 2023, the OAG and investigators allowed it to continue unabated for 13 months, across the street from the high school, until the defendants were arrested in February 2024.
For his role in the drug ring, Qader was arrested and arraigned on an indictment charging him with 48 felony counts related to the sale of illegal drugs. He originally entered a plea of not guilty but changed that on May 8, 2024, when he entered a guilty plea to one felony count of conspiracy and one felony count of criminal sale of a controlled substance.
The following are the defendants who were charged in the drug trafficking indictment, and their sentences:
On May 8, 2024, the following changed their pleas to guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence:
- Isaiah Atkins – 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of criminal possession of a controlled substance (originally charged with 10 felonies) sentenced to a total of 5 and one half years in prison plus two years post-release supervision.
- Christopher Evans – 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of criminal sale of a controlled substance (originally charged with 20 felonies and two misdemeanors) sentenced to a total of 4 years plus two years of post-release supervision.
- Stephen Gary – case dismissed following death of defendant.
- Aaron Steppe – 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of criminal sale of a controlled substance (originally charged with 36 felonies and two misdemeanors) sentenced to a total of f years plus two years post-release supervision.
- On April 24, 2024, Curtis Holland, originally charged with eight felonies and two misdemeanors, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and criminal possession of a narcotic and has yet to be sentenced.
- Muyad Qader – 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of criminal sale of a controlled substance (originally charged with 47 felonies) has not been sentenced as of November 19, 2024.
The following defendants were involved in the separate gun indictment:
- On May 22, 2024 Louis Gonzalez, originally charged with 14 felonies pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of criminal sale of a firearm, and one count of criminal possession of a firearm (originally charged with 14 felonies) and has not been sentenced.
- On May 22, 2024 Joseph Silverman, originally charged with 11 felonies pleaded guilty to single felony counts of conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, and criminal possession of a firearm. He has not been sentenced.
- Jason Knapp originally faced 116 felony counts pertaining to gun charges. He went to trial and was convicted of 90 various felonies. He has not been sentenced.
Muyad Qader has not been sentenced for his role in either case.
