Justin Torres, 37, of Ellenville, New York, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. The sentencing took place in Utica, New York.
The case was announced by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; and Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, whose office leads the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT).
Torres admitted to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute about 580 grams of cocaine and 200 grams of fentanyl during the conspiracy.
He is one of eleven defendants charged in this case. Several co-defendants have already been sentenced: Joshuan Atkinson received 156 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release; Christopher Baez received 71 months followed by five years supervised release; Michael Herry received 27 months followed by three years supervised release; Daryl Livingston received 24 months followed by three years supervised release. Sentencing dates are set for Joshua Morales on December 3, Joseph Logan on November 19, and Timothy Hutcherson on December 17.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said, “This case demonstrates our commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations in Ulster County, where Justin Torres and his co-conspirators sold cocaine and fentanyl. With our federal, state, and local partners, we continue to target these poison peddlers and protect the public from the deadly scourge of drugs. I commend and thank Sheriff Figueroa for his courageous leadership spearheading this operation with URGENT and all the brave officers of the task force who sacrificed themselves in the spirit in which we have all sworn an oath to as members of law enforcement. As I have stated time and time again, if these gangbangers had been charged locally, they would all be out on the streets in two hours continuing their acts of violence against our communities for a year or more while their cases moved through the state court system. The State Legislature and Governor should call a special session to repeal the reckless and dangerous cashless bail law that has imposed massive casualties amongst the citizens throughout the State of New York for eight long suffering years. My office shall do everything in its power to assist state and local law enforcement to combat the revolving door of crime.”
Ricky J. Patel added: “This sentence is the result of a coordinated, intelligence-driven investigation that disrupted this organization’s fentanyl and cocaine distribution, and in turn stopped a narcotics pipeline in its tracks. HSI New York remains steadfast in our commitment to deploying our expertise, data-driven strategies, and investigative resources to identify traffickers, dismantle their networks, and prevent deadly drugs from reaching our neighborhoods. Together with the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, URGENT, and our local partners, HSI New York will never waver in our commitment to protecting families within our communities and the public we serve every day.”
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said: “This was a collaborative effort consisting of federal, state and local law enforcement. Drug trafficking continues to affect local communities and is a nexus to crime spikes. I thank the U.S. Attorney for prosecuting these criminals. I also thank the members of the URGENT task force who put long investigative hours into this critical case to rid our community of drugs.”
Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd imposed an additional $5,000 fine on Torres along with a three-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including HSI; Ulster County Sheriff’s Office working with URGENT—a multi-agency taskforce targeting drug dealers—and support from New York State Police; Village of Ellenville Police Department; White Plains Police Department; as well as assistance from Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda prosecuted this case.
The prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at disrupting high-level criminal organizations using coordinated efforts across agencies led by prosecutors driven by intelligence-based approaches nationwide.
More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
