Police have arrested a 20-year-old Putnam resident who they say sold hundreds of dollars worth of ecstasy to undercover officials.
Roberto L. Meneses, of Oslo Path in Carmel, is facing three counts of criminal
possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, felonies. Authorities arrested him on Sept. 11, following an investigation they launched in late winter, Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith announced Wednesday.
"In March of this year, an undercover deputy assigned to the Sheriff’s Narcotics
Enforcement Unit, developed information that [Meneses] was selling MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy,” to others," police said. "As the investigation continued, undercover deputies were able to infiltrate Mr. Meneses’
enterprise and purchase several hundred dollars worth of the illegal hallucinogen from him."
The arrest came when Meneses was attending a meeting—connected to a three-year probation sentence that followed a recent "narcotics-related conviction"—at the Putnam County Probation Department, according to authorities.
Meneses was arraigned before Carmel Town Justice Thomas Jacobellis, who set bail at $10,000. He was sent to the Putnam County Correctional Facility, where officials reportedly delved into the defendant's criminal history via a computerized inquiry.
"The results of that inquiry indicated that Mr. Meneses was in the United States illegally and that there was an existing deportation order outstanding against him," police said. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were notified and have placed a hold on Mr. Meneses prohibiting his release from
custody. He will be released to ICE agents after the criminal charges lodged against him are satisfied."
The investigation is continuing, and officials say they expect to file additional charges.
