Five people were officially charged in connection with the 2023 death of Robert De Niro’s grandson, along with two other 19-year-olds, according to officials and international media reports from this week.
Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver, John Nicolas, and Roy Nicolas were charged by authorities in New York and accused of running a fentanyl distribution ring.
The alleged ring saw counterfeit prescription opioid medication sold through social media to both teenagers and young adults.
Leonardo Dr Niro-Rodriguez is believed to be one of the ring’s victims after he overdosed two years ago. The same year as his death, a woman was arrested for allegedly selling him three counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and Xanax.
Other victims of the fentanyl ring
Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, was also said to have perished as a result of drugs purchased through the network.
Stein was found dead on May 30 after taking fentanyl-laced pills she is thought to have purchased from two of the accused.
The drugs are said to have caused a third death, though the victim was not named.
The five are each charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute.
"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 and who had already made profound, immeasurable impacts on those who knew them," said Homeland Security Investigations New York special agent in charge Ricky Patel in a statement on Thursday.
Academy Award-winning actor De Niro said he was "deeply distressed" by the passing of his "beloved grandson."