A federal grand jury has charged two New York men with running a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that prosecutors say left one female college student dead and another near death inside a Manhattan residence hall in March 2026. Moises Freire and Brian Peralta Cabrera now face a three-count superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York, with Freire additionally accused of sexually assaulting one of the women while she was unconscious from drug poisoning.
According to the US Attorney SDNY
, the charges were jointly announced by U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts, and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. Prosecutors allege the two students were deceived into ingesting fentanyl that had been disguised as cocaine, a deception that proved fatal for one of them, as detailed in the indictment announced by the
Department of Justice
.
McDonald described the case in stark terms. “This case alleges not only the deadly distribution of fentanyl to two young women but also the sexual assault of a victim rendered defenseless by that poisoning,” she said. “This Office remains committed to protecting college communities against the extraordinary danger posed by those who weaponize narcotics to exploit vulnerable victims. We will work tirelessly to hold accountable those who endanger young people living and learning on our campuses.”
Charges Carry Decades-Long Mandatory Minimums
Freire faces an additional federal charge under 21 U.S.C. § 841 for distributing fentanyl with the intent to commit rape, the Department of Justice's announcement noted. Under that same statute, distributing a controlled substance that results in death or serious bodily injury carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison, with a maximum of life imprisonment, according to the Legal Information Institute.
Court filings reviewed by PacerMonitor show the underlying case, USA v. Freire et al., was first filed in April 2026, months before the superseding indictment adding the rape and death charges was unsealed this week. Defense counsel from the Federal Defenders of New York has been assigned to represent Freire, according to the same docket records.
Fentanyl's Grip on New York City's Overdose Crisis
The case lands against a backdrop of persistent synthetic opioid danger in New York City. The city recorded 2,192 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2024, with opioids involved in 78% of overdose deaths and fentanyl the most common substance, involved in 73%, per the NYC Department of Health. Total overdose deaths dropped 28% from 2023 to 2024.
Emergency responders administered Narcan, also known as naloxone.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Federal Campus Prosecutions
The Manhattan case fits a pattern of federal prosecutors nationwide pursuing drug suppliers whose distribution leads to the deaths of college students. In June 2024, federal prosecutors in Florida charged four men with fentanyl distribution resulting in the fatal overdose of an 18-year-old University of South Florida student, a case Hoodline covered at the time. Undercover agents reportedly continued buying illicit narcotics from that Florida drug ring even after the student's death.
A similar case unfolded in Georgia, where an Atlanta-area drug seller was sentenced in May 2026 to 15 years in prison following the death of a 20-year-old University of Georgia student who ingested a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl, believing it was routine prescription medication. Police traced the supply chain to a Buckhead apartment stash house using messages found on the deceased student's phone, Hoodline reported in its earlier coverage of that sentencing.
Federal prosecutors have not publicly identified the specific Manhattan college tied to the case. It remains unclear when Freire and Peralta Cabrera will face trial, or whether additional individuals in the local distribution chain could still be charged.
