Grei Mendez, a daycare operator in the Bronx, New York, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl from her daycare facility. The operation resulted in the death of one child and the poisoning of three others. Mendez pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024, and U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff imposed the sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky stated: “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.”
The investigation revealed that from June 2022 through September 2023, Mendez conspired with others to distribute narcotics from Divino Niño Daycare by hiding more than 11 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin under floor tiles.
On September 15, 2023, four children at the daycare were poisoned by exposure to fentanyl; three were hospitalized while a fourth child tragically died.
Mendez also received five years of supervised release following her prison term.
Matthew Podolsky praised multiple agencies for their role in investigating this case: “the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), the Southern District of New York Digital Forensic Unit,” among others.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling criminal organizations using multi-agency collaboration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maggie Lynaugh and Brandon C. Thompson along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl P. Miller are leading this prosecution effort.