Operation Dark Horse has been a major successful narcotic operation targeting narcotics dealers and suppliers that are operating in Rensselaer County and causing major quality of life issues in neighborhoods and to the healthcare system. The dedicated Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Unit has been working tirelessly to go after these dealers and suppliers and not only remove the dealer from the streets, but shut down the house that is causing the problems in those neighborhoods. The Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Unit dedicated investigators has shut down three dozen narcotics dealers in one year since March 2023. Operation Dark Horse has created a significant change to those neighborhoods that had their narcotics dealers shut down and residence in those neighborhoods have noticed a significant change for the better.

In the early morning hours of March 8, 2024, the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Unit, Emergency Services Unit and with the assistance from the Albany County Sheriffs Office executed a search warrant on a house that their drug tip line had been flooded with information on. The address 368-370 5th Avenue in the rear apartment. The members of the Emergency Services Unit quickly ascended the stairs to the apartment and forced entry through the door and with overwhelming force quickly took down the occupant inside of the structure. Members of the elite team quickly cleared the house and made their way outside where the Criminal Investigation Unit was standing by. With the all clear the Criminal Investigation Unit made their way towards the house, as they were doing so investigators noticed a significant amount of empty pill casings, and hypodermic needles scattered throughout the property next to a bunch of vehicles, and a significant amount of blight throughout the property. As investigators made their way inside they began to conduct their search of the home and the suspect was quickly secured and brought outside.

During the search warrant execution a K-9 officer from the Albany County Sheriffs Office made their way inside and it did not take long before the K-9 found a extremely large amount of narcotics. As the criminal investigation unit continued to proceed forward in the search they also discovered illegally possessed firearms and a significant amount of code enforcement issues. Investigators documented and bagged a significant amount of evidence and began to bring it outside and place it into patrol cars. Members of the City of Troy’s quality of life Task Force, code enforcement officials, animal control, and litter patrol was requested to the scene. The suspect was taken into custody and transported down to the Rensselaer County Jail for processing.  Michael Peabody of Troy, New York, faces significant criminal charges following the execution of a search warrant by the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office. The charges include fourth-degree criminal possession of a firearm or weapon, second-degree criminal possession of methamphetamine, first-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug weighing 8 ounces or more, third-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug with intent to sell, and second-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug weighing 4 ounces or more. Peabody was arraigned in Troy City Court by the Honorable Judge Kathleen Robichaud and remanded to Rensselaer County Jail without bail. The seized narcotics have an estimated street value of approximately $100,000.00. 

While the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Unit and deputies were outside a significant portion of the neighbor’s drove by and were clapping and nodding their heads and some cheering out their car windows ecstatic that a property that has caused major quality of life issues for the Lansingburgh neighborhood was finally being shutdown. One neighbor yelling to the deputies “Your killing it!!! Keep bagging and tagging them! Thank you so much”. Additionally some surrounding neighbors came over and personally thanked them for what they were doing to clean up the neighborhood. Members of the City of Troy’s department of Public Works was brought in to board up the building and code enforcement posted the building making it uninhabitable until all of the repairs could be made to the building. One gentle dog was removed from the property and transferred to the care Of The City of Troy‘s animal control officer.

Revelations occurred and it was off to have another location near by. The Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Unit and Emergency Services Unit were off to hit another location. As the investigators and Emergency Services Unit rolled in hot to the other location with irrefutable force and rolled up on the second target location. The Criminal Investigation Unit did not waste any time and began to search the house where they discovered over a dozen weapons illegally possessed that could have made there way to the streets. Investigators began to secure all of the evidence and process the scene. Investigators remained on scene for an extended period of time while the search was being executed.

The Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office’s Operation Dark Horse has had a significant impact cleaning up dozens of neighborhoods across the City of Troy and parts of Rensselaer County. Operation Dark Horse has placed a major fear in the narcotics dealers operating in the city of Troy and parts of Rensselaer County. After these types of search warrant executions there has been a significant decrease in the amount of overdoses in the area by knocking out the pipelines the users of this deadly poison is able to get their hands on too. Since the search warrant execution there was no overdoses for the last three days in the city of Troy or in Rensselaer County. Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault stated “Excellent work by our Criminal Investigation Unit, once again. Not only did they take dangerous drugs off the streets, but also 14 illegal handguns and several rifles — potentially saving lives from overdose deaths and gun violence. This administration has vowed to support the hard working men and women of the Sheriff’s Office in their efforts to combat these two major issues, and that’s what we’ve done and will continue to do,” The Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault has continued to support his agencies hard work and their dedicated push to cleaning up the communities in Rensselaer County by rooting out these narcotic dealers and destroying their operations and ways of life preventing them from causing major quality of life issues to innocent victims in those neighborhoods. “This is outstanding work by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office in taking dangerous drugs and illegal weapons off our streets. Our county has seen many tragedies from drug abuse, and this action today will hopefully help save lives and protect neighborhoods across our county,” said County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

The dedicated members of the Criminal Investigation Unit wants to continue to thank the public for flooding their drug tip line with information about narcotics dealers that are operating in their neighborhoods. Your community's safety depends on your courage to speak up. Remember, the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office tip line guarantees confidentiality, empowering you to play a pivotal role in Operation Dark Horse, allowing hope to prevail against the darkness that threatens your neighborhood.The Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office drug tip line 518-270-0128 is on 24 hours a day seven days a week.