Man killed over drug money owed.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) injunction with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have announced that Carlos Laureano, also known as “Gordo,” and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan, also known as “BJ,” have been charged with the August 12, 2014, murder of Luis Perez in Harlem, New York. The men will stand before United States District Judge Paul A. Crotty in Manhattan federal court. According to court records, on or about August 12, 2014, Laureano and Ben-Jochannan “shot and killed Perez in connection with a conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana.”
“Carlos Laureano and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan allegedly participated in the premeditated murder of Luis Perez over eight years ago in connection with a drug debt. Now, thanks to the hard work of the DEA and NYPD, the defendants have been charged for this heinous crime,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “We hope that today’s charges bring some measure of comfort to the family of Luis Perez and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another person’s life.”
Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Foley added, “Drugs and violence are a constant threat to the quality of life for New Yorkers. This investigation demonstrates DEA, and our law enforcement partners’ resolve to bring justice to victims of violence and to identify and disrupt the drug trafficking organizations that spread poison throughout our neighborhoods.”
Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI New York Ricky Patel commented, “Communities are being terrorized and the uptick in violent crime has instilled fear across New York City. Today’s arrest for a 2014 unsolved murder is a testament to HSI New York’s commitment to protect the public from highly addictive and often deadly drugs and rid our communities of those who perpetrate street violence and murder. The partnership that HSI shares within the OCDETF Strikeforce in New York City is crucial to combat the distribution of narcotics that often leads to extreme violence, overdoses, and loss of life. HSI will continue to pursue organized criminal networks to make neighborhoods in New York City safer.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said, “This case involves a homicide from 2014. What this case highlights are that neither investigative challenges nor the passage of time will deter us from pursuing justice. We long ago learned that narcotics and guns, money and murder go hand-in-hand to bring fear to communities. The joint efforts of federal and state prosecutors and investigators in this case are yet another example that we will be relentless to end this violence”
The two men, both of the Bronx, New York, have charged with one count of using a firearm to commit murder during a drug-trafficking crime, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison; and one count of murder in connection with a drug crime, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison, and a mandatory minimum term of 20 years in prison.
Additionally, Laureano was charged with one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence life behind bars, and a mandatory minimum term of ten years; and one count of possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime.
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