In a sobering court decision, a Bronx daycare operator was sentenced to 45 years in prison for her role in trafficking fentanyl, which led to the tragic death of a toddler and the poisoning of three other young children. Grei Mendez, 37, who pled guilty to the charges last October, has been handed down a sentence that underscores the severity of her actions. According to a statement by the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, Mendez operated the Divino Niño Daycare, where more than 11 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin were found concealed beneath the floor tiles in the playroom, dangerously within reach of innocence, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Mendez was sentenced to a prison term followed by five years of supervised release, as he faces the repercussions of a drug conspiracy that operated under the facade of a daycare. Upon sentencing, Mr. 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,” as noted by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The incident at the daycare occurred on or about September 15, 2023, when insidious particles quite possibly changed forever the trajectory of four families, as detailed in the public record. One 22-month-old boy succumbed to the poison, while the survivors were hospitalized in the wake of the exposure. The vigorous investigation, led by a myriad of agencies, including the DEA, NYPD, and the U.S. Marshals Service, demonstrated a unified front against the intertwining of drug trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable populations.
The prosecution, which is a part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, hinged on an intelligence-driven multi-agency approach aimed at dismantling criminal organizations. Tasked with the prosecution were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maggie Lynaugh and Brandon C. Thompson, along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl P. Miller of the Bronx County District Attorney's Homicide Bureau.
