Overview
- Authorities announced on Oct. 30 the arrests of five men accused of operating a fentanyl pill network linked to the fatal overdoses of three 19-year-olds.
- The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, according to federal prosecutors.
- Investigators allege the group used social platforms and encrypted messaging to sell thousands of fentanyl-laced pills in New York between January and July 2023.
- Court filings state Akira Stein, 19, died at her family’s Manhattan home after taking pills bought the prior day and had suffered earlier nonfatal overdoses tied to the same sellers.
- HSI said the alleged scheme left a trail of irreversible loss, as the prosecutions proceed following the multi-agency investigation by the DEA, SDNY and NYPD.