Overview
- The DEA and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan announced the arrests of Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas on a charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death.
- The indictment alleges the group produced and sold counterfeit oxycodone-style “M30” pills laced with fentanyl to teenagers and young adults across New York City and parts of Long Island.
- Prosecutors link the pills to three fatalities in 2023, including 19-year-olds Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez and Akira Stein, over a roughly three-month span.
- Court filings describe deals arranged on social media and encrypted apps, with one sale to Leandro delivered in a USPS envelope to a Manhattan apartment.
- A separate 2023 case charged Sofia (Sophia) Haley Marks with selling pills to Leandro, and federal proceedings for the five newly indicted defendants are ongoing with arraignment dates not yet announced.