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Two years after the tragic death of Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, the nephew of renowned actor Robert De Niro, US authorities have made five new arrests in connection with the network that supplied drugs to teenagers and young people in New York City.
Leandro, just 19 years old, was the son of Drena De Niro, the actor's adopted daughter. He was found dead on July 2, 2023, in his apartment, after an apparent drug overdose, which was later discovered to contain fentanyl, an extremely dangerous substance that has caused thousands of deaths in the US in recent years.
The five men arrested, Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barretto, John Nicholas and Roy Nicholas, are accused of participating in a criminal network that distributed counterfeit opioid pills, laced with fentanyl and other substances, with the aim of marketing them to young people.
According to federal prosecutors, these pills caused the deaths of three 19-year-olds, including Leandro. Investigations revealed that the group distributed thousands of pills throughout New York neighborhoods, often selling them through social media contacts and local distributors.
Just weeks after Leandro's death, Sofia Marks, a woman suspected of selling the pills that took the young man's life, was also arrested. According to investigative documents, Marks had direct ties to part of the group that has now been arrested.
At the time of the discovery, a friend of Leandro's had alerted the authorities after failing to contact him for several days. Police, after entering the apartment, found the body with no signs of life and suspicious substances nearby.
Following her grandson's death, Drena De Niro reacted with deep sorrow, sharing a touching message on social media in which she described her son as "the light of my life." Robert De Niro, through a statement to the media, also requested privacy for the family and expressed shock at the "untimely loss of a young life full of promise."
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid much more powerful than heroin or morphine. It is used legally for medical purposes, but is often illegally mixed into pills and other substances without the users' knowledge, causing fatal overdoses. In the US alone, over 70% of overdose deaths are linked to fentanyl use.
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