NY ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE: Local residents involved in latest multi-county drug operation take-down

ONEIDA COUNTY- A handful of local residents are among several who have been arrested and charged one of the latest multi-county drug network takedowns, according to an announcement this week from the New York Attorney General.

The investigation began in September of last-year and lasted through this spring - encompassing five different counties throughout the Central New York region, including Oneida.

In all, investigators managed to round up over 23-pounds of fentanyl; 12-pounds of meth; nearly 4-pounds of cocaine; an array of firearms and nearly $900,000 in cash.

There are 125 different crime charges across a total of 17 suspects. Locally, defendants include:

Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY.
Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY.
Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY.
Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY.
Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY.

Charges include various felony counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and/or Conspiracy to commit those crimes.

According to investigators, Jordan, Lane and Lighthall were all allegedly involved in a large network of dealers.

This indictment was unsealed this week in Onondaga County Court.

“Traffickers who flood our communities with fentanyl and other drugs are threatening the important progress New York has made in reducing overdoses and fighting the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General James.

“Thanks to the hard work of this investigation and our law enforcement partners, we took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off our streets. I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to put an end to these destructive drug trafficking rings and keep New Yorkers safe from dangerous narcotics.”

“I am grateful for the relentless work of all of the investigators and partner agencies from the Attorney General’s Office, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and several state, county, and local law enforcement agencies that were all part of this investigation,” said Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol.

“As a result of everyone’s work, 17 individuals involved in a major cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine trafficking ring that has been operating in the Central New York area are now off the streets and this criminal organization has been dismantled.”

Image via the DEA.