Federal authorities in Manhattan on Thursday announced charges against two separate drug networks accused of distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine that resulted in at least five overdose deaths, including Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the grandson of Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, and Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie co-founder Chris Stein.
In the first case, 19 individuals, including alleged Mac Baller Bloods member Maliek “Scarface” Lugg, 24, were accused of running a large-scale open-air drug market in the Greenwich Village greenspace and surrounding streets since 2020.
John Livigni is also accused of leading two of the main groups with Lugg — the Bloods Team and the Livigni Team — along with associate dealers who coordinated territory, shared drug suppliers, and warned one another of police presence to maintain control over the lucrative street market.
The federal indictment also names Curtis Miller, Tommy Brown Jr., Christian Cortez, Jared Covington, Nazzir Washington, Vito Haskins, Felix Cuevas, Manny Pina, Andre Bethea, Sean Thom, Bishara Strother, Robert Johnson, Henry Rodriguez, Peter Rodriguez, Daniel Negron, Brandi Felci, and Blake Jake Tannenbaum.
The group allegedly distributed millions of doses of fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, heroin, and crack cocaine on a near-continuous basis, operating in overlapping teams with agreements to maximize profits while minimizing conflict, according to prosecutors.
The indictment states that over the last five years, police and first responders have been called more than 65 times for suspected overdoses in and around the Greenwich Village park.
Prosecutors also state that during the same period, officers from the NYPD’s 6th Precinct have taken the defendants into custody more than 80 times for various state drug charges and other offenses, with several individuals being arrested repeatedly.
The investigation linked the network’s activity to the deaths of an 18-year-old theater intern from Colorado and a 43-year-old homeless man who frequently purchased drugs in the park. Law enforcement officials said the operation was responsible for dozens of overdoses and created a substantial risk of death to the community.
Investigators seized purple dope bags, yellow crack pouches, and other drug paraphernalia tied to the defendants during the arrest of several of the individuals in the past week.
DEA Special Agent Frank Tarentino said at a press conference announcing the charges Thursday, “Behind every number is a grieving family, a community left with questions, and a call for action. The justice served in these cases brings a measure of closure, but it must also fuel our collective determination to confront the fentanyl crisis with urgency and compassion. … We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will hold you accountable. This is our fight, a fight to save lives.”
Tarentino praised the collaborative effort among law enforcement, including the DEA, NYPD, HSI, and New York State Police, calling the operation “what a unified front looks like.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the group had “turned this iconic park into an open-air drug market” and emphasized that the arrests mark an effort to restore safety and quality of life in the area.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton called the arrests “a new day for Washington Square Park” and said the cases send a clear message to drug traffickers that authorities will “take back our parks, our streets, our neighborhoods, and hold people accountable.”
Social media-dueled fentanyl deaths
In a separate investigation announced Thursday, five defendants, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver, John Nicolas, and Roy Nicolas, were charged with distributing fentanyl-laced pills to teenagers and young adults across New York City, leading to the deaths of Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, Akira Stein, and another 19-year-old identified only as Victim-2.
The network, which operated between January and July 2023, relied heavily on social media and encrypted messaging apps, including Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram, to reach customers, according to authorities. The three victims died in Manhattan apartments during the summer of 2023.
The arrests in this case took place over several days: Epperson and McIver were apprehended in Manhattan and Houston, TX, respectively, while John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas were arrested in Buffalo and Valley Stream, New York. Barreto surrendered in Manhattan. All five defendants are being detained pending trial.
The indictment follows the 2023 arrest of Sophia Haley Marks, known as the Percocet Princess, who was charged in connection with the death of De Niro-Rodriguez.
Each of the accused managed overlapping drug businesses that connected through two intermediaries, allowing the networks to distribute drugs widely while exploiting digital platforms to reach young users, according to the indictment.
Investigators say the operation capitalized on teenagers’ and young adults’ frequent use of social media, making it easier to sell lethal doses of fentanyl.
Tarentino and Clayton both emphasized that social media has become a powerful tool for traffickers.
Tarentino said, “We have seen the proliferation of technology and social media as a tool in the drug trafficking trade. … Drug traffickers and drug trafficking organizations have weaponized social media in a way that allows them to expand their network, make more profits, and unfortunately, get more people addicted to their poison.”
Clayton added, “The key elements for crime are money and communications, and social media greatly enables the coordination around communications and money. … Both of these investigations are ongoing.”
Tarentino also highlighted the larger public health context, noting that coordinated education and community awareness efforts have contributed to a 25% decrease in overdose deaths in the first part of 2025 compared with the previous year. “But we’re not done,” he said.
“Our adversary is always exploiting vulnerabilities and blind spots, especially taking advantage of technologies. We are dogged in that approach to hold them accountable, and we have, without discussing tactics, the ability to maintain pace and hold them accountable, which is what you saw play out in this investigation.”
Authorities said that fentanyl is a major contributor to fatal overdoses across the United States and in New York City. From 2020 through 2023, more than 10,000 people died from fatal drug poisonings in New York City alone, with fentanyl involved in approximately 80% of those deaths.
The 24 defendants in both cases face mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted. Both investigations are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Narcotics Unit and involve collaboration with the DEA, HSI, NYPD, and New York State Police.
