Five reputed drug dealers were hit with federal charges Thursday, October 30 for allegedly peddling fentanyl-laced opioid pills that caused the death of Robert De Niro’s grandson in 2023.
Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John Nicolas, and Roy Nicolas were named in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court Thursday. They were allegedly part of a criminal crew that sold thousands of counterfeit pills to unsuspecting teens and young adults across New York City.
The five men allegedly supplied the drugs responsible for the July 2023 overdose death of the legendary actor’s grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez . Law enforcement sources also said the group sold drugs that killed 19-year-old Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie guitarist Chris Stein.
Less than six months before her death, Akira Stein allegedly messaged John Nicolas in December 2022: “I overdosed.” Nicolas allegedly replied, “Wtf babe?” She allegedly wrote back, “You’re totally protected can’t find the batch everything’s okay just letting you know.
I crushed up two barely split one. Like I barely did anything and I know my tolerance,” she allegedly said, adding, “just warn customers in batch might be extra strong.”
Federal prosecutors said she died from an overdose on May 30, 2023, at the age of 19.
Sophia Haley Marks, 20, an alleged drug dealer known as the “Percocet Princess,” has been separately charged with being the person who sold De Niro Rodriguez the specific pills he overdosed on.
According to the indictment, the crew’s activities involved several individuals and methods. Epperson, known as “Tea,” and Barreto allegedly began selling drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and prescription pills, in 2019, often conducting deals out of Manhattan hotel rooms or Epperson’s Queens apartment.
McIver, also known as “Dizzy,” allegedly began selling drugs in 2023, including a potentially fatal form of fentanyl and Zylazine, an animal tranquilizer not approved for human use. Roy Nicolas and his brother, John “John John” Nicolas, are accused of selling fentanyl-laced pills in 2022, often referring customers to each other.
The crew allegedly advertised their drugs on social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram, targeting teens and young adults.
Marks, who was charged in 2023, allegedly bought drugs from the crew, including Xanax and fentanyl, and resold them to others, including Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
In 2023, three New York City teenage clients of the crew died from overdoses, including Stein and De Niro Rodriguez. The famed actor’s 19-year-old grandson suffered a fatal overdose after swallowing a potent fentanyl pill at a friend’s apartment in downtown Manhattan on July 2, 2023.
