Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today the presentment of PEDRO MARTE in White Plains federal court on a Complaint charging MARTE with two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Pedro Marte turned a New Rochelle hotel room into a dangerous drug lab. A law enforcement investigation revealed that Marte possessed large quantities of cocaine, and deadly fentanyl. We should all be able to stay in a hotel without worrying about exposure to dangerous and potentially lethal drug trafficking. The Women and Men of the Southern District, together with our law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to protect our community from those who put innocent lives at risk.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino said: “Pedro Marte’s use of his hotel room as a clandestine drug lab not only placed the lives of innocent guests in danger but was reckless and unconscionable. We are thankful to our law enforcement partners and our first responders for their quick actions. Without their immediate response, the results could have been catastrophic.”
As alleged in the Complaint:[1]
On or about the evening of April 6, 2025, law enforcement and fire department personnel responded to reports of an incident in a hotel in New Rochelle. Upon entering the hotel, they observed damage to 27 rooms. Law enforcement then entered the room where the hotel’s sprinkler systems had first been activated and observed evidence of a significant fire, as well as equipment and materials consistent with a clandestine drug lab for converting powder cocaine into crack cocaine. After determining that MARTE had rented the room in question, law enforcement officers searched the storage locker that MARTE had visited immediately prior to arriving at the Residence Inn, where they found approximately three kilograms of a substance that tested positive for cocaine, 12.2 grams of a substance that tested positive for fentanyl, and drug distribution paraphernalia.
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MARTE, 47, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the DEA, the New Rochelle Police Department, and the New Rochelle Fire Department.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.