Feds Charge Suspect In Illicit Hotel Room Drug Lab That Caught Fire

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The illicit drug manufacturer behind a drug lab that caught fire at a downtown hotel is now facing federal charges, according to the DOJ.

Jay Clayton, the U.S. 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, announced on Thursday that 47-year-old Pedro Marte, of Manhattan, was presented in White Plains federal court on a complaint charging him with two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

"As alleged, Pedro Marte turned a New Rochelle hotel room into a dangerous drug lab," Clayton said. "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.”

SEE ALSO:

• New Roc City Hotel Fire Reveals Illicit Drug Lab: Police
• Police Give Update In Investigation Of Drug Lab Found After Hotel Fire

According to the complaint, on April 6, the New Rochelle Police Department and the New Rochelle Fire Department responded to reports of an incident at the Residence Inn located at Lecount Place, in downtown New Rochelle. Upon entering the hotel, they noted damage to 27 rooms, according to the the first responders.

Police entered Room 728, where the hotel's sprinkler systems had first been activated, and saw evidence of a significant fire, including paint chipping off the wall and burnt buckets. In Room 728's bathroom, New Rochelle police found a portable stove with a pot on it, several blue cans of acetone, bottles of hydrochloric acid, and a large graduated cylinder. According to the DEA, these items are consistent with a clandestine drug lab for processing powder cocaine into crack cocaine.

Police also found two large bags in Room 728, filled with a white, powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. The total amount of cocaine was 77 grams.

After determining that Marte had rented the room in question through Expedia, and that he had stayed at the hotel before, detectives soon developed leads that led them to a hospital in Queens, where they found Marte receiving treatment for burn injuries to his hand, torso, and foot.

After reviewing surveillance video of Marte arriving at the Residence Inn in a Bluebird Taxi, police saw that he entered the hotel with two suitcases. After speaking with the taxi driver, officers determined that he had been picked up at the Drive-Up storage facility, located on Nardozzi Place, in New Rochelle.

Detectives quickly realized that Marte rented a locker at the storage facility. After a search warrant was obtained for Locker 2228, they found a large amount of drug-related items, including a five-foot kilo press, several kilo stamps, around 3 kilograms of cocaine, 12.2 grams of a substance that tested positive for fentanyl, a large quantity of cutting agents, drug packaging materials, acetone, multiple scales, and additional paraphernalia, cops said.

Authorities said the discovery indicated a sophisticated drug manufacturing and distribution operation linked to the suspect.

"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," Tarentino said. "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."

Marte was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries five to 40 years in prison; and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries up to 20 years in prison.

Clayton praised the work of the DEA, the New Rochelle Police Department, and the New Rochelle Fire Department.