Five men have been arrested in connection with the accidental 2023 drug overdose of 19-year-old Leandro De Niro Rodriguez<\/a>, the grandson of acting legend Robert De Niro<\/a>, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced Thursday in a press conference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cToday we recognize that justice was sought and served in the tragic overdose deaths and poisonings of our most vulnerable \u2014 our children,\u201d said New York DEA special agent in charge Frank Tarentino<\/a>. \u201cBailey Shaw, 18. Akira Stein, 19. Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, 19.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cTaken from us far too soon,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to court documents obtained by celebrity.land, the defendants were part of a \u201ccriminal network that distributed thousands of counterfeit prescription opioid pills laced with fentanyl, among other drugs\u201d to New York City teenagers and adults.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The defendants \u2014 Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John and Roy Nicolas \u2014 each face one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death. The DEA notes<\/a> this carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rodriguez was found dead in a Manhattan apartment on July 2, 2023, from the \u201ctoxic\u201d combination of fentanyl, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, bromazolam and cocaine, an autopsy confirmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rodriguez isn\u2019t named in the indictment, though his age and date of death align with the document\u2019s description of \u201cVictim-3.\u201d The subsequent press conference Thursday confirmed the five new arrests were made in connection with his and two other deaths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cVictim-1\u201d appears to be Stein, the late daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein<\/a>, who was also 19 when she overdosed in May 2023<\/a>. \u201cVictim-2,\u201d potentially Shaw, died the next month. Sophia Marks, then 20, was arrested in July 2023 in connection with Rodriguez\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dubbed the \u201cPercocet Princess,\u201d she was booked on federal drug distribution charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jordan Strauss\/Invision\/Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Tarentino said Thursday, \u201cWhile no verdict, sentence or ruling can ever truly erase the pain of these losses, these \u2026 operations affirm that accountability matters. Today \u2026 we\u2019re able to provide these families \u2026 some answers to their long-awaited question: \u2018Why?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n De Niro said in a statement one day after his grandson was found that he was \u201cdeeply distressed\u201d<\/a> and asked for privacy. Rodriguez was the only child of the Oscar winner\u2019s oldest daughter, Drena De Niro<\/a> \u2014 who published an emotional Instagram post at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly,\u201d she wrote in a caption accompanying his photo<\/a>. \u201cYou have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n De Niro told People in 2024<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s just a shock.\u201d [I] never thought it would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAnd I just then started thinking about all the things I could have, should have done maybe with him,\u201d he continued at the time. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that would\u2019ve made a difference. And so that\u2019s always playing through my mind. It shouldn\u2019t have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the <\/span><\/em>SAMHSA National Helpline<\/span><\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/69040c76230000ce69be1f16.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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