Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have unsealed an indictment charging Adam Sloan, 44, better known by the nickname “Slug,” with selling fentanyl that authorities say led to a fatal overdose last summer. Prosecutors tie Sloan to a July 15, 2025 drug sale that they say killed a Manhattan resident, citing surveillance footage and other evidence that allegedly link the two men. If convicted on the single count of distribution of narcotics resulting in death, Sloan faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and up to life behind bars.
“We know fentanyl kills, indiscriminately, and it has no place in the streets of New York,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “New Yorkers want drug dealers who sell fentanyl off the streets.” https://x.com/i/status/2034751705745613160
- U.S. Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) March 19, 2026
Indictment details
According to federal prosecutors, the unsealed indictment charges Sloan with one count of distribution of narcotics resulting in death tied to the July 15, 2025 overdose. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
What the indictment says
The indictment bluntly states: “On July 15, 2025, SLOAN sold fentanyl to a Manhattan man, killing him,” and notes that the victim had previously overdosed in October 2024 before seeking treatment. Court filings describe surveillance video and other evidence that prosecutors say show the defendant and the victim meeting up for the suspected sale, then separately returning to their homes afterward.
The charging document also spells out the stakes. The count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life, if Sloan is convicted. The full charging papers are available online as the indictment.
Public health context
New Yorkers are already painfully familiar with the backdrop to this case. Fentanyl has driven the vast majority of overdose deaths in the city in recent years, and health department data show the drug was present in roughly 80 percent of overdose fatalities in 2023. Officials and harm‑reduction groups have pointed to expanded treatment access, naloxone distribution, and drug‑checking programs as key reasons for recent declines in deaths, even as authorities continue to warn that the illicit supply remains highly dangerous, according to the New York City Department of Health.
What comes next
The charge in the indictment is an accusation, and Sloan is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case will move forward in federal court and is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandilk listed as the lead prosecutor. The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration and the NYPD, which worked alongside federal prosecutors on the case.
