Two of the four defendants indicted in connection with the drug overdose death of a 1-year-old boy and the poisoning deaths of three other children at a Bronx daycare center last fall have pleaded guilty to criminal charges ahead of trial.
Damien Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Monday that Felix Herrera Garcia, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in drugs resulting in death or serious injury, one count of possession with the intent to traffic in drugs resulting in death, and one count of possession with the intent to traffic in drugs resulting in serious injury.
The charges all relate to the poisoning of four children under the age of 3, including one who died on Sept. 15, 2023, at a Bronx child care facility.
About two weeks ago, 38-year-old Lenny Antonio Parra Paredes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in drugs. Part of his plea agreement stipulated that he committed aggravated assault resulting in death and serious injury to a child.
Bronx daycare overdose: 3 suspects on trial in 1-year-old’s fentanyl death
In September 2023, fentanyl was found at a Bronx daycare center, killing one child and hospitalizing three. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
“In September 2023, four children were poisoned with fentanyl at a Bronx daycare,” Williams said. “The children were severely injured and one infant died. As they admitted at trial, Felix Herrera Garcia and Renee Antonio Parra Paredes operated an illegal fentanyl trade out of the center, processing and selling the deadly drug. We said at the time that this case would shock the conscience of our city, and now Herrera Garcia and Parra Paredes are being brought to justice for this heinous crime.”
Garcia, a daycare owner, was arrested in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, a stronghold of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug trafficking cartel, once led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Indicted alongside Garcia and Parra Paredes, also known as “El Gallo,” were Divino Niño Daycare owner Gray Mendez de Ventura, 36, and neighbor Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41. They were arrested on September 16 and charged in federal court with conspiracy to traffic in drugs resulting in death and trafficking in drugs resulting in death, charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Colorado father convicted of child abuse in toddler’s fentanyl death
Police found large amounts of fentanyl, other drugs and drug paraphernalia in a pit in a play area at a Bronx daycare center. (New York Police Department)
Ventura and Brito also face 11 charges, including assault, murder with malicious indifference and child endangerment following the death of a child and the injury of three others on Sept. 15 from suspected exposure to fentanyl.
Authorities said two of the victims were in cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived on the scene and Narcan was administered to the infant.
According to the indictment, Parra-Paredes, Mendez and Brito conspired to distribute fentanyl at day care centers and other locations in the Bronx between July and September 2023.
Despite the presence of children, including toddlers, Parra-Paredes and his co-conspirators possessed large quantities of narcotics, including a kilo of fentanyl stored on a children’s play mat and large quantities of suspected narcotics hidden in booby traps on the floors of rooms where the children played and slept, according to the federal complaint.
Suspected fentanyl dealer charged with murder in Texas teen’s overdose death
Drugs were found under the floor of a Bronx daycare center. (New York Police Department)
A search of the day care facility uncovered drug packaging materials used to distribute the narcotics, including glassine envelopes with “RED DAWN” stamped in red ink.
After Parra-Paredes was arrested, a search was conducted at his apartment and a shopping bag containing tools and equipment used to manufacture and distribute drugs was discovered, including strainers, tape, grinders, plastic bags and digital scales.
Investigators also found two clear plastic bags containing a grayish powder, a rectangular packet believed to contain narcotics, and an envelope marked “RED DAWN” that matched one found at the day care center.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Investigators found a “RED DAWN” stamp tool in the apartment, along with the envelope.
Garcia and Parra Paredes face a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison for each charge.
