NEW YORK, NY – A criminal complaint unveiled today has led to charges against Grei Mendez, 36, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, for narcotics possession with intent to distribute resulting in death. The complaint alleges that the two ran a narcotics operation out of a Bronx daycare, leading to the fentanyl poisoning of four children under the age of three, one of whom died.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco stated that the Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those involved in supplying fentanyl to communities. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams pointed out that Mendez and Acevedo Brito disregarded the lives of the children they were supposed to care for.
The complaint details that from July through September, the defendants kept large quantities of fentanyl in the daycare, including a kilogram stored on top of children’s playmats.
The daycare also contained items designed for drug distribution, such as three “kilo presses.” On September 15, four children were poisoned due to exposure to fentanyl at the daycare.
Before calling emergency services, Mendez communicated with an unnamed co-conspirator who removed evidence from the facility. One child died, and three others were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Acevedo Brito, who lived in the daycare and is a cousin of the unnamed co-conspirator, had his phone searched, revealing messages suggestive of narcotics trafficking.
Both defendants face a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison for each charge.
The case is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the DEA, NYPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in coordination with the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office. The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon C. Thompson and Maggie Lynaugh.