Post by : Rameen Ariff

New York City — Five individuals have been charged in connection with the 2023 overdose death of Robert De Niro’s grandson, Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, and two other 19-year-olds, authorities announced Thursday. The suspects—Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver, John Nicolas, and Roy Nicolas—are accused of running a fentanyl distribution network that sold counterfeit prescription opioids via social media to teenagers and young adults.

The network has been linked to the deaths of De Niro-Rodriguez, Akira Stein, daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, and an unnamed third victim. The five are each charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess fentanyl with intent to distribute, carrying potential sentences of 20 years to life if convicted.

“Through their alleged actions, these defendants left behind a trail of irreversible loss that cut short the lives of three teenagers who held boundless potential,” said Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent Ricky Patel.

Prosecutors say the suspects used social media and encrypted messaging apps to sell thousands of fentanyl-laced pills between January and July 2023. Over that summer, the drugs allegedly led to the three deaths. Authorities detailed how Stein purchased fentanyl-laced pills from John and Roy Nicolas, while the unnamed victim obtained pills from Grant McIver through an intermediary. De Niro-Rodriguez received pills from a dealer supplied by McIver, Epperson, and Barreto.

A woman separately arrested in 2023 allegedly sold De Niro-Rodriguez three counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, believed to have caused his death, along with Xanax tablets.

Following the tragedy, Academy-Award winner Robert De Niro expressed being “deeply distressed” over the loss of his “beloved grandson,” who was the only child of his daughter Drena. Chris Stein, whose daughter Akira was among the victims, thanked authorities for giving “some hope of justice” for her.

The arrests mark a significant step in holding individuals accountable for the deadly fentanyl network that preyed on vulnerable teens, highlighting the dangers of illicit drug distribution via social media.

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