SULLIVAN COUNTY — Jahmal Ford, 43, of Kissimmee, Florida, has been convicted of attempting to operate as a major drug trafficker in Sullivan County, according to a press release issued by District Attorney Meagan Galligan’s office last week. A Grand Jury investigated Ford in 2019 and ultimately accused him of conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine and oxycodone in Sullivan County, although he lived in the State of Florida. Ford was extradited to New York and prosecuted by Galligan’s office; with the case poised for trial, on April 29, 2022, Ford pled guilty to Attempting to Operate as a Major Trafficker, Conspiracy in the Second Degree and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all felonies, before Judge E. Danielle Jose-Decker. He faces up to fifteen years of incarceration at sentencing, scheduled for July 22, 2022.

Galligan said, “The importation of dangerous and deadly narcotics into Sullivan County is a serious threat to public safety and the well-being of those who live, work and travel here. This defendant’s attempt to shield himself from prosecution by conducting his operations from Florida failed because our law enforcement community is committed to identifying, apprehending and prosecuting offenders like this.”

Galligan noted that this prosecution was the product of the strong partnership among the State Police, our local police agencies and her Office, and commended Assistant District Attorney Lisa Bondarenka for her dedication to this case.