Overview
- A federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York charged Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas with one count each of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death, and authorities announced their arrests after the indictment was unsealed Oct. 30–31.
- Investigators say the network’s counterfeit pills led to the overdose deaths of three 19-year-olds in 2023, including Leandro De Niro‑Rodriguez and Akira Stein, with a third victim not publicly identified.
- Charging documents describe dealers using mainstream social platforms and encrypted messaging to market and deliver thousands of fentanyl‑laced pills across New York City and parts of Long Island.
- Court filings cite text messages in which a dealer warned a buyer that the pills were not prescription grade and wrote, “I don’t want to kill you,” before a fatal purchase tied to the case.
- Each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life in prison if convicted, while a separate defendant, Sophia H. Marks, was previously charged in 2023 in a related sale connected to De Niro‑Rodriguez’s death.