GOSHEN, N.Y. — An Orange County man pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with a conspiracy to sell narcotic pills that contained fentanyl but were marketed as oxycodone, according to county District Attorney David M. Hoovler.
Garry Michel, 48, of the town of Wallkill, was the last of the original 26 defendants in the distribution conspiracy case dubbed “Operation Bread, White and Blues” to plead guilty in Orange County Court, Hoovler said Thursday.
The name of the operation refers to the co-conspirators’ use of the term “bread” to mean money they obtained through the sale of narcotics, “white” to represent the cocaine that was sold, and “blues” to represent the blue-colored pills being trafficked.
In court, Michel admitted distributing pills as part of the conspiracy. In a plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit $181,842 in illegally obtained drug proceeds.
Michel pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy, a felony, and faces 12 1/2 to 25 years in state prison when he is sentenced on May 18, 2020, according to a press release.
Michel is being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
The case targeted narcotics distributors and “outlaw motorcycle club” members, according to the release.
All of the other defendants originally charged in the scheme have pleaded guilty to various felonies, Hoovler said.
Source: Daily Freeman