Feds Say 2 White Plains Men Led LI-Based Drug Trafficking Gang

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Five members and associates of a Long Island-based drug trafficking organization, including two Westchester men, have been indicted for narcotics distribution, according to the Justice Department.

John J. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, announced that an indictment was unsealed on Thursday, at the federal court in Central Islip, charging five members and associates of a Long Island-based drug trafficking organization, known as "No Budget," with conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl since over the past six years.

The DOJ alleges that the five men engaged in the yearslong drug trafficking operation transporting fentanyl and 137 kilograms of cocaine across the country for distribution, mostly in Long Island and Queens.

Two of the men, 37-year-old Nicholas Andrade (also known as "Nick" and "Pirate"), and 43-year-old Julian Hutchins (also known as "Hutch"), are residents of White Plains. The other three men include 36-year-old Prince Jones (also known as "P89"), of Mineola; 43-year-old Jose Lopez (also known as "Jay Timeless"), of Elmont; and 34-year-old Ryan O’Malley, of Port Jefferson.

Andrade, the leader of No Budget, was also charged for his role in the March 9, 2023 murder of Jose Manuel Sosa in Bay Shore, and the March 10, 2023 shooting in Queens of a potential witness to the murder.

Four of the men were arrested on Thursday in New York, and were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke who ordered them detained pending trial. Hutchins was arrested in Florida and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

If convicted of the charges, the five men face up to life in prison.

"As alleged, the defendants participated in the large-scale distribution of deadly narcotics across Long Island and committed crimes of extreme violence to maintain their drug business," Durham said. "My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue working tirelessly to eradicate the scourge of fentanyl and drug-related violence on Long Island and the related harm these dangerous drugs pose to our communities."

According to court documents, since 2017, the five men carried out the large scale trafficking and distribution of fentanyl and cocaine on Long Island and maintained several stash houses in Queens and on Long Island.

During the investigation, phone records and surveillance captured the five men meeting with one another and exchanging duffle bags, luggage, or other bags in manners consistent with narcotics trafficking, according to the DOJ.

Court-authorized searches yielded dozens of kilogram wrappers with cocaine residue, kilogram presses, packaging materials, and quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.

On April 27, law enforcement intercepted a truck traveling from California to New York containing 137 kilograms of cocaine headed for the organization's distribution operation., federal investigators said.

The investigation found that the five men were responsible for the distribution of over 235 kilograms of cocaine and 20 kilograms of fentanyl.

In addition, the DOJ alleges that Andrade orchestrated several violent crimes, including the March 2023 murder of Sosa and the attempted murder of a potential witness to the murder. Sosa's murder was caused by a dispute that had escalated over the preceding months between Andrade, Sosa, and another Long Island-based drug dealer.

In early March 2023, Andrade and others schemed to rob Sosa's residence, feds said. However, on March 9, 2023, Andrade instructed other members of No Budget to kill Sosa, according to the allegations. Later that day, when Sosa was alone in his driveway, the shooter exited a borrowed Audi and shot Sosa multiple times, killing him. The shooter and the getaway driver then sped away and met up with Andrade, investigators said.

On March 10, 2023, in order to cover up No Budget's involvement in Sosa's murder, Andrade and the shooter developed a plan to lure the owner of the Audi used in the murder, to a location in Queens and kill him, according to the charges. When the car-owner arrived, the shooter had a brief conversation with him in the Audi, and upon exiting the Audi, turned and fired into the vehicle, striking the victim in the head. The victim was seriously injured in the shooting, but ultimately survived his wounds.

"The indictment against these individuals who ran a drug trafficking organization known as 'No Budget' spared no cost at using violence to run their illicit drug distribution of cocaine and fentanyl," Tarentino said. "Thanks to the hard work and determination of the DEA and our law enforcement partners, we were able to remove 137 kilos of cocaine destined for the streets of Long Island. The DEA remains committed to protecting our communities."