Sullivan County man arrested for selling heroin

NEW YORK — A Sullivan County man was arrested Wednesday for selling heroin in Thompson, N.Y., area following an investigation by the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

James J. Jenkins Jr., 20, of Liberty, was wanted for selling heroin to an undercover deputy sheriff when SCSO deputies and HSI agents identified him as a passenger in a car that was stopped in Liberty. At the time of his arrest, Jenkins had 173 bags of heroin stuffed in his underwear. Although the undercover drug purchases took place in the Town of Thompson, the investigation led police to a stash house located on South Main Street in Liberty. Armed with a search warrant prepared by the Sullivan County District Attorney's Office, SCSO, HSI and the Liberty Police Department raided an apartment at that location and recovered approximately an ounce and a half heroin from a safe, plus packaging material. The heroin had not yet been "cut" and packaged. The total street value of the seized heroin is estimated to be approximately $8,000.

Jenkins was charged with two counts of Felony Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, Felony Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell and Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance (narcotic drug over one eighth ounce). He was arraigned before County Court Judge Michael McGuire and sent to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Deputies report that this is one of the largest seizures that they have made recently from a street level dealer.