Riverhead, NY – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Thursday that Elvis Rosales, 27, of Selden, has been indicted on felony drug charges for allegedly selling counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl to a 29-year-old Bohemia man who died just hours after taking them.
According to investigators, on January 4, 2026, Suffolk County police officers responded to a Bohemia residence after the victim’s mother found her son unresponsive in his bedroom. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police recovered several small blue pills near the body that were later confirmed by the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory to contain fentanyl.
A review of the victim’s cellphone revealed text and Telegram messages with an account under Rosales’s name. Between January 3 and 4, Rosales allegedly agreed to sell the victim $50 worth of “perks” — a street term for Percocet — and directed him to meet at the Super 8 Motel in Lindenhurst. Surveillance footage from the motel showed the men meeting briefly around 3:19 a.m. on January 4. Hours later, the victim was found dead.
Rosales was arrested on January 7 at the New York State Division of Parole office. When officers called the number linked to the messages with the victim, the phone in Rosales’s possession rang.
District Attorney Tierney said the case highlights the ongoing danger of counterfeit narcotics in the illicit market. “This case is a stark reminder of the deadly deception behind counterfeit pills on our streets,” Tierney said. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who allegedly peddle these poison pills that are destroying families and communities across Suffolk County.”
Rosales was arraigned January 21 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas on one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, both Class B felonies. He was ordered held on $500,000 cash, $1,000,000 bond, or $2,500,000 partially secured bond. Rosales faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
Key Points: Selden man indicted for allegedly selling fake Percocet pills that caused fatal fentanyl overdose – Riverhead
- Elvis Rosales, 27, was indicted for allegedly selling counterfeit fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet to a Bohemia man who died hours later.
- Police recovered fentanyl-laced pills and phone messages linking Rosales to the transaction at a Lindenhurst motel.
- Rosales faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of third-degree drug sale and possession charges.
