WHITE PLAINS, NY (May 16, 2025) — A New York man was charged in federal court Wednesday after allegedly operating a clandestine drug lab in a New Rochelle hotel room, authorities said.
SEE: USA v Marte
Pedro Marte, 47, of New York, faces two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to a complaint filed in White Plains federal court. The charges stem from an incident on April 6, 2025, when law enforcement and fire department personnel responded to reports of an incident at a hotel in New Rochelle, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced.
Upon entering the hotel, authorities observed damage to 27 rooms. In the room where the hotel’s sprinkler system had been activated, law enforcement found evidence of a significant fire and equipment consistent with a lab for converting powder cocaine into crack cocaine, the complaint alleges.
“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.”
Authorities searched a storage locker Marte had visited before arriving at the hotel and discovered 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, according to the complaint.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino described Marte’s actions as “reckless and unconscionable,” noting that the hotel room drug lab “placed the lives of innocent guests in danger.”
“Without [the] immediate response [of law enforcement and first responders], the results could have been catastrophic,” Tarentino said.
Marte faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A judge will determine any sentencing, as the potential sentences are prescribed by Congress.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler in the White Plains Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Clayton praised the DEA, New Rochelle Police Department, and New Rochelle Fire Department for their work on the case.
Marte is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, authorities said.
Outline of DEA Affidavit
Hotel Room Fire
On April 6, 2025, at approximately 9:19 p.m., members of the New Rochelle Police Department arrived at the Residence Inn located at 35 LeCount Place in New Rochelle, New York, in response to reports of a fire. Upon arrival, the New Rochelle Fire Department was already on the scene and observed that the sprinkler system had been activated in Room 728, with a total of 26 other rooms in the hotel damaged as a result of the incident.
Members of the New Rochelle Fire Department, upon entering Room 728, noted evidence of a significant fire, including paint chipping off the walls and burnt buckets. They considered the area a crime scene due to the suspicious nature of the fire.
Inside Room 728, the New Rochelle Police Department found a portable stove with a pot on top, several blue metal cans of acetone, bottles of hydrochloric acid, and a large chemistry cylinder. Based on training and experience, authorities determined that these items can be used in the process for converting powder cocaine into crack cocaine.
Additionally, members of the New Rochelle Police Department discovered two large plastic bags in Room 728 containing a white, powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. The two bags weighed approximately 77 grams in total.
Identification of Marte
At the time of the fire on April 6, 2025, Room 728 at the Residence Inn had been rented to Pedro Marte through Expedia, an employee of the hotel confirmed. The employee further stated that Marte had previously rented rooms at the Residence Inn. The New Rochelle Police Department obtained video from the hotel and compared it with New York State Department of Motor Vehicles records, confirming that the individual who rented Room 728 was Marte.
Additional surveillance video captured Marte carrying a blue bag with either a red or orange stripe, fleeing the hotel just after the sprinklers and alarm went off. Based on observations, the New Rochelle Police Department noted that Marte appeared disheveled and soaking wet in the video.
New Rochelle PD officers also traveled to Marte’s apartment, where they spoke with an individual who identified herself as Marte’s mother. She informed the officers that her son had contacted her to say he had been in an accident and was seeking medical treatment at a hospital in Queens.
Officers later interviewed Marte at East Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, where he had significant burn injuries to his hand, torso, and foot. Marte stated, in sum and substance, that he had been present at the Residence Inn at the time of the fire and that he had been alone.
Subsequent Investigation
On or about April 7, 2025, New Rochelle Police Department members reviewed surveillance footage from the previous day at the Residence Inn, where a fire had occurred. The footage showed Marte arriving at the hotel in a specific Bluebird Taxi and entering through the hotel’s main entrance with two black suitcases.
New Rochelle PD members then spoke with the driver of the taxi, who stated that Marte had been picked up at the Drive-Up Storage facility in New Rochelle, identified as Drive-Up Storage (54 Nardozzi Place). On or about April 8, 2025, the Honorable Jared Rice, New Rochelle City Court Justice, signed a search and seizure warrant for storage locker #2228 at Drive-Up Storage, which had been rented by Marte.
Upon executing the warrant, officers found approximately three kilograms of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine, approximately 12.2 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl, and drug distribution paraphernalia, including packing materials, scales, a kilo press, and mixing agents.
The affidavit concludes with a request by Edward G. McCue, Task Force Officer of the Drug Enforcement Administration, that Pedro Marte, the defendant, be imprisoned or bailed as the case may be.
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This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.