Member of Ulster County Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Prison

UTICA, NEW YORK - Justin Torres, age 37, of Ellenville, New York, was sentenced today to serve 37 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

The announcement was made 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 that during the conspiracy he distributed and possessed with intent to distribute approximately 580 grams of cocaine and 200 grams of fentanyl.

Torres was one of 11 defendants charged in the case. These defendants have pled guilty and have been sentenced or are pending sentencing:

• Joshuan Atkinson was sentenced to 156 months in prison, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release;
• Christopher Baez was sentenced to 71 months in prison, to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release;
• Michael Herry was sentenced to 27 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release;
• Daryl Livingston was sentenced to 24 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release;
• Joshua Morales is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3, 2025;
• Joseph Logan is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19, 2025; and
• Timothy Hutcherson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2025.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, "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, Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, stated, "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 stated, "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 also imposed a fine of $5,000 and a 3-year term of supervised release to begin after Torres is released from prison.

This case is being investigated by HSI; the Ulster County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with URGENT (the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement and Narcotics Team), an inter-agency taskforce targeting drug dealers and gang members in Ulster County; the New York State Police; the Village of Ellenville Police Department; and the White Plains Police Department, with assistance from the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda is prosecuting this case.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.