A Riverhead man was sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of felony and misdemeanor drug charges stemming from the execution of a search warrant at his apartment in December 2021, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced today.
Joseph Douglas, 42, was found guilty in June after a jury trial on two counts of third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a Class B felony, and second degree criminally using drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. In addition to his nine years in prison, Douglas was sentenced to three years of post-release supervision.
“We will not tolerate drug dealers in our community taking advantage of those with addictions,” Tierney said in a press release. “This lengthy prison sentence will ensure that the dangerous drugs this defendant was peddling do not end up in our community here in Suffolk County.”
During the early-morning raid at Douglas’ apartment at 726 East Main Street on Dec. 5, 2021, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Riverhead Police Department and East End Drug Task Force, recovered more than one-half ounce of cocaine, three digital scales and cash, according to prosecutors.
Douglas has prior convictions in 1998 for Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, in 2003 for Attempted Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree, and in 2015 for Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, the district attorney said.
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