In an ongoing pursuit of justice, a somber development has transpired in the tragic case of a one-year-old boy who lost his life to a fentanyl overdose at a Bronx day care, Divino Niño. The investigation has led federal prosecutors to the arrest of a third individual, Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38.
The detainment of Mr. Paredes took place at a residential unit in the Bronx this past Saturday. Manhattan’s US District Court subsequently laid a charge against him, entailing a single count of narcotics distribution conspiracy that resulted in a calamitous loss of life.
Law enforcement officials, however, have not yet managed to apprehend all the suspects linked to the atrocity. The authorities are keenly seeking the spouse of one of the co-conspirators, who was recorded fleeing the daycare premises after the unfortunate incident occurred. He was reportedly carrying plastic bags suspected to contain fentanyl.
On a hopeful note, Southern District of New York’s US Attorney Damian Williams acknowledged that each arrest meant one step closer to serving due justice for the victims of this horrifying event, easing the burden for their distraught families.
The deceased toddler, Nicholas Dominici, sadly was not the only one affected. The suspected fentanyl exposure at the day care also landed two two-year-old boys and an eight-month-old girl in the hospital, suffering from acute opioid intoxication.
The unveiled court complaint reveals a chilling modus operandi for this illicit operation. Mr. Paredes, along with his alleged cohorts, Grei Mendez and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, used the daycare as a warehouse for the fatal narcotics. This included storing an entire kilogram of fentanyl on children’s playmats. The drugs and their packaging materials were stashed in concealed nooks within the room designated for play and nap time. Marked with the stamp ‘Red Dawn’, glassine envelopes were part of the tools utilized for distribution.
Intensive detective work, including tracing phone calls and text messages, led investigators to the third suspect. A subsequent search of Paredes’ apartment revealed more telltale signs of the sordid operation—a bag brimming with drug distribution paraphernalia, and the ‘Red Dawn’ stamp used on the envelopes.
A chilling revelation from a federal law enforcement official confirms their belief that the defendants were acting as mid-level drug distributors, tasked with the hazardous job of mixing fentanyl with either other substances or household items, including baby powder.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Agent in Charge, Frank A. Tarentino III, recognized Paredes’ “instrumental role” in the appalling incident, which proved fatal for one child and came perilously close for three others. He lamented on the callous disregard of the traffickers, who carelessly concealed their contraband in places that put innocent, unknowing children’s lives in danger.
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