Gleneida Avenue Arsenal Seized

A cache of weapons seized during last week’s drug arrest on display inside the Sheriff’s Department. Eric Gross A man described by police as a “major drug dealer” is behind bars following a raid on an apartment above a popular Carmel deli located on the hamlet’s main thoroughfare.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest last Thursday of Scott Flaherty, 50.

Chief Investigator Gerald Schramek said early last month members of the Countywide Narcotics Task Force received information that a Carmel man was selling large quantities of prescription pain medicine to others throughout the region: “Undercover deputies infiltrated the illicit enterprise and purchased oxycodone pills, a narcotic normally used to treat severe pain.”

Schramek said that after deputies purchased pills from Flaherty on a number of occasions a search warrant was obtained for his home: “Shortly before 7pm last week, Flaherty again met with an undercover deputy while at a public parking lot in Carmel where additional amounts of narcotics were sold. Flaherty was then taken into custody without incident.”

Armed with the search warrant, officers entered Flaherty’s residence, where they seized $4,500 in cash, numerous illegal knives, narcotics transaction records, and an arsenal of 14 weapons, including a loaded unregistered .38 caliber revolver hidden beneath a pillow on Flaherty’s bed.” Police also seized the suspect’s vehicle.

Flaherty was charged with 10 counts of criminal sale and criminal possession of controlled substances described by District Attorney Adam Levy as Class B felonies carrying 25-year state prison terms if found guilty. He was arraigned by Patterson Justice John King and was remanded to the Putnam Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bond pending future court action.

Sheriff Donald Smith said the investigation was ongoing, with additional charges expected to be lodged: “Our staff is also continuing its probe into any of Flaherty’s associates.”

Meanwhile inside the Sheriff’s Department, Inv. Schramek, Sheriff Smith and Investigator John Matrician displayed the cache of weapons for the Courier.

Schramek said several of the weapons were assault rifles valued in excess of $1,200 each: “These are nasty looking guns that have no place in a residentialcommercial area of Putnam County.”