United States of America v. Grei Mendez

New York, New York criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with trafficking fentanyl out of a daycare in the Bronx

Daycare Operator Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison In Connection With Fentanyl Poisoning Of Four Children At A Bronx Daycare

GREI MENDEZ was indicted for trafficking fentanyl out of a daycare in the Bronx, New York, which resulted in the death of one child and the poisoning of three others.



Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: "Grei Mendez operated a daycare out of a basement apartment in the Bronx in which large quantities of deadly fentanyl were mixed, packaged, and stored. She put babies as young as eight months old directly in harm's way as they slept, played, and ate in a room where over 11 kilograms of fentanyl was hidden underneath their feet, leading to the death of one child and the poisoning of others. No punishment can make up for a child lost, but today's sentence sends the message that this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to bring to justice anyone who uses children as a shield in the drug trade.”



According to the Complaint, the Indictment, and other documents in the public record:



From at least in or about June 2022 through September 2023, MENDEZ and others conspired to distribute narcotics out of Divino Niño Daycare in the Bronx. There, MENDEZ and her co-conspirators maintained more than 11 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin in secret compartments, or traps, located underneath the floor tiles in the playroom of the Daycare.



As a consequence of the drug conspiracy perpetrated by MENDEZ and her co-conspirators, on or about September 15, 2023, four children at the Daycare, all of whom were under three years of age, experienced the effects of poisoning from exposure to fentanyl. Three of the children were hospitalized. The fourth child, a 22-month-old boy, died.