Qader & Knapp: 54 Years for Gun & Fentanyl Flood

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Hudson Valley isn’t exactly paradise, but nine newly-convicted criminals were trying to make it a whole lot worse. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced today the sentencing of key figures in intertwined firearms and narcotics trafficking rings that pumped ghost guns, assault-style rifles, and counterfeit fentanyl pills into Dutchess County. The operation wasn’t just about profit; it was about arming criminals and fueling addiction, and the sentences handed down reflect the severity of the threat.

The ringleader, Muayad Qader, 35, of Poughkeepsie, received a 14-year prison sentence on January 24 after pleading guilty to four felonies. But the real hammer blow came down on Jason Knapp, the primary supplier of illegal firearms. Knapp, facing trial, was slapped with a staggering 40-year sentence on January 17 for the sale and possession of 12 firearms, alongside Conspiracy charges. Two other members of the gun trafficking operation have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, as are the five remaining defendants involved in the narcotics side of the operation.

“These dangerous criminals flooded New York communities with untraceable ghost guns and counterfeit opioids containing deadly amounts of fentanyl,” Attorney General James stated bluntly. “This case is a significant victory in my office’s efforts to turn the tide on the crises of gun violence and opioid addiction. The convictions and sentences we secured are putting a stop to deadly gun and drug trafficking operations, protecting New Yorkers in the Hudson Valley.”

The 18-month joint investigation, spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Special Investigations Unit – Hudson Valley (SIU-HV), and the Troop K – Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (K-VGNET), uncovered a sophisticated network. The February 2024 arrests and indictments were just the beginning. The investigation revealed a chilling haul: 31 firearms, including 14 unserialized AR-style ghost gun rifles, two serialized non-compliant AR-style rifles, a defaced AR-style rifle, a defaced magazine-fed shotgun, a Polymer-80 ghost gun pistol, and a defaced Glock-21 pistol. Add to that high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

On the narcotics front, a separate indictment charged seven defendants with trafficking thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. The bust yielded approximately 5,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, with a street value of around $150,000, plus approximately $55,000 in cash. The investigation showed Muayad Qader obtaining firearms from Jason Knapp, Joseph Silverman, and Louis Gonzalez for resale. Knapp, operating out of his Dutchess County home, built ghost assault weapons and delivered them to Qader at a Valero Gas Station and Qader’s Poughkeepsie residence.

“These convictions speak to the tremendous interagency coordination and cooperation necessary to get dangerous individuals, illegal drugs, and weapons off our streets,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “These substances destroy communities and put lives at risk. I want to thank our members and partners at the Attorney General’s Office for their tenacious dedication to tracking illegal drugs and weapons and intercepting them at their source.” The message is clear: traffic in death, and you’ll pay a heavy price.