Five Arrested as Probe Into Death of Robert De Niro’s Grandson Deepens
Two years after 19-year-old Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez died from fentanyl-laced pills, authorities have arrested five people in connection with the case. Federal prosecutors say the suspects supplied the counterfeit drugs that killed Robert De Niro’s grandson.
Sad update out of New York: two years after Robert De Niro's grandson, Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, died at 19, federal authorities say they have arrested five people tied to the counterfeit pills that killed him. It is a grim chapter in a story that has never stopped hurting his family — and a reminder of how messy and widespread the fake pill problem has become.
What prosecutors say
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the DEA announced the arrests during a Thursday press briefing. Their allegation: the group sold counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl across New York City and surrounding areas, and they used social media to advertise and move the product. According to prosecutors, Leandro's overdose was one of three deaths involving 19-year-olds in a three-month stretch in the summer of 2023.
The night Leandro died, and what the medical examiner found
On July 2, 2023, first responders answered a 911 call and found Leandro unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment. The New York City medical examiner later ruled the death accidental and listed a mix of substances as the cause: fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, ketamine, cocaine, and 7-aminoclonazepam. In plain terms: he got counterfeit pills cut with fentanyl, and the toxic combo was lethal.
How this fits with earlier arrests
These new arrests follow a related case from 2023. That year, authorities charged Sofia H. Marks with distributing fentanyl and alprazolam; each count carried up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors allege she was among the people supplying the fake pills tied to Leandro's overdose. The fresh round of arrests suggests investigators have kept tracing the supply chain and are now closing in on more of the network.
- July 2, 2023: Leandro is found unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment; death later ruled an accidental overdose.
- Summer 2023: Prosecutors say his was one of three overdose deaths involving 19-year-olds in a three-month span.
- 2023: Authorities arrest and charge Sofia H. Marks with distributing fentanyl and alprazolam, alleging she helped supply the counterfeit pills.
- Thursday (two years later): SDNY and the DEA announce five more arrests tied to the same counterfeit pill pipeline.
About Leandro
Leandro was the only child of actor Drena De Niro and was starting an acting career of his own before his death. The case has always been personal, and now it looks like there is finally some movement toward accountability.
More as the cases wind their way through court.