Shomaray Lane and Dijoun Lawrence Pled Guilty to Narcotics and Firearms Offenses
Both Expected to Face Lengthy Prison Sentences
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, announced that Shomaray Lane, 33, of Newburgh, pled guilty in Orange County Court to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree. Under the plea agreement announced on the record at the time that Lane pled guilty, it is expected that he will be sentenced to nine (9) years in prison to be followed by five (5) years post-release supervision when he is sentenced on August 5, 2026. As part of the plea, Lane also forfeited $42,132 and a vehicle. At the plea proceedings, Lane admitted to acting individually and in concert with others to sell over two (2) ounces of cocaine.
District Attorney Hoovler further announced that on June 26, 2026, Dijoun Lawrence, 23, of Georgia, pled guilty in Orange County Court to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Under the plea agreement announced on the record at the time that Lawrence pled guilty, it is expected that he will be sentenced to thirteen (13) years in prison to be followed by five (5) years post-release supervision when he is sentenced on August 12, 2026. At the plea proceedings, Lawrence admitted to supplying firearms from Georgia for sale in New York as part of an ongoing conspiracy.
Both cases stemmed from an enforcement action following a long-term investigation into firearm and narcotics trafficking in Orange County that resulted in the filing of firearm, narcotics, and conspiracy charges against twenty (20) individuals. The operation, dubbed “Operation Powder Burn,” was an eight (8) month long intensive investigation into illegal firearms and narcotics trafficking in Orange County that was conducted by the Orange County Drug Task Force (“OCDTF”), the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (“OCDA”), the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), the City of Middletown Police Department, the City of Port Jervis Police Department, and the City of Newburgh Police Department. The investigation received major assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, the ATF NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force and the New York City Police Department. Other agencies that provide important assistance in the investigation and apprehension of the defendants charged in the operation were the New York State Police (“NYSP”) – CTIU, NYSP SORT, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Operations Group, the Town of New Windsor Police Department, the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Georgia State Police, the DeKalb County, Georgia, District Attorney’s Office, the Dekalb County, Georgia, Police Department-SWAT/Gang Unit, the Town of Montgomery Police Department, the Town of Woodbury Police Department, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the City of Mount Vernon Police Department, the New York State Air National Guard, and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center.
Law enforcement agencies from outside of New York State, notably the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and DeKalb County Police Department in Georgia, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the ATF Atlanta Field Division Groups 1 and 7, aided in the investigation, and apprehended defendants in those states, who have been charged in Orange County, along with the defendants apprehended in Orange County.
The investigation targeted an “iron pipeline conspiracy” whereby firearms, including handguns and assault weapons, from the states of Georgia and Pennsylvania were trafficked into Orange County for illegal sale to those without pistol permits. Most of the guns were sent from outside of New York by FedEx to co-conspirators in the City of Newburgh. Police officers made fifty-five (55) controlled purchases of firearms during the course of the investigation, using funds provided by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Explosives and Firearms.
Since December of 2024, various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, working with the Orange County Drug Task Force commenced an investigation into Christopher Brown, age 40, of City of Newburgh, and others associated with him, who were allegedly engaging in narcotics and cocaine trafficking crimes in the City of Newburgh, and elsewhere. The investigating agencies conducted extensive surveillance, reviewed subpoenaed records, and utilized undercover police officers. The investigation quickly revealed that in addition to trafficking narcotics, Brown and his associates were also engaged in the illegal sale of firearms. During the course of the investigation, fifty-five (55) illegally possessed firearms were purchased in controlled buys by police officers. The District Attorney applied for an eavesdropping warrant that was closely monitored by the law enforcement agencies. The purpose of the eavesdropping warrant was to identify who was supplying the firearms and to ensure that none of the illegally trafficked guns reached the streets. The investigation revealed that the firearms were primarily coming from Georgia, with a lesser number coming from Pennsylvania, and some being received by Brown from others within the City of Newburgh.
On July 30, 2025, two Orange County District Attorney Office criminal investigators joined federal law enforcement officials from the ATF, and Georgia police in aiding in the execution of a search warrant at the residence of Dijoun Lawrence and Shorna Witter. They were charged in felony complaints filed in the City of Newburgh Court, in Orange County, with allegedly engaging in a conspiracy to send firearms to Brown, so that they can be trafficked in the City of Newburgh. Brown often allegedly used the premises located at 132 South Street in the City of Newburgh to traffic firearms and narcotics. The term “Iron Pipeline” is used to refer to the routes used for illegal firearms trafficking between states with differing gun laws. The bulk of the guns being allegedly trafficked by Brown and his co-conspirators originated in Georgia, where handgun sales are less regulated than in New York.
Based on the sheer number of handguns obtained through the controlled purchases and the information obtained through court-ordered eavesdropping, this is the largest gun trafficking case in Orange County history. The investigation revealed that illegal guns being allegedly trafficked by Brown and his associates were likely distributed outside of the City of Newburgh. For that reason, the City of Middletown Police Department and the City of Port Jervis Police Department devoted significant resources to the investigation.
In addition to the purchase of the fifty-five (55) firearms, undercover police officers also purchased over seven hundred (700) grams combined of cocaine and fentanyl from Brown. Investigation revealed that the narcotic drugs were allegedly obtained by Brown from his narcotic drug suppliers, Shomaray Lane, age 32, of Newburgh, and Ian Dawes, age 57, of Queens.
Law enforcement executed a series of judicially authorized search warrants at residences in the City of Newburgh, the Bronx, Poughkeepsie, and Queens which resulted in the recovery of twelve (12) illegally possessed guns, over four (4) ounces of fentanyl, a half kilogram of cocaine and over $65,000 in US currency.
“As we see time and time again, there is a direct connection between the illicit sale of narcotics and the illegal sale, possession and use of firearms,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “While the scope and scale of this gun and drug trafficking enterprise was truly alarming, the convictions of these defendants stands as a testament to success of long-term investigations involving multiple agencies from different states and federal partners. These efforts have proven that we can disrupt and dismantle operations that traffic in guns and narcotics. As District Attorney, I warn those who seek to profit in these deadly ways that if you choose to bring illegal firearms or lethal narcotics into Orange County, we will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory and Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney Richard Moran.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
