Daycare owners allegedly hid fentanyl under playmats after an infant at their facility died from an overdose.

The tragedy that unfolded at Divino Nino Daycare in the Bronx last Friday shocked the entire city. One infant, Nicholas Feliz-Dominici, died after four other children in the daycare overdosed on the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The subsequent investigation conducted by the New York Police Department uncovered a kilogram of fentanyl, as well as three kilo presses used for packaging large quantities of drugs, stored under play mats in a room where the children took naps.

Grei Mendez, the owner and operator of the daycare, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, who rented a room in the same apartment, were both arrested and charged with possession of narcotics with intent to distribute.

US Attorney Damian Williams said that Mendez and Brito had put the children directly in harm's way. "Parents entrusted Grei Mendez with the care of their children," he said. "Instead of diligently safeguarding the well-being of those children, she and her co-conspirators put them directly in harm’s way, running a narcotics operation and storing deadly fentanyl out of the very space in which the children ate, slept, and played."

Surveillance footage from the daycare showed Mendez's husband leaving moments before first responders arrived. The indictment also alleges that before Mendez called 911, she first called her husband to help her hide evidence.

A search of Brito's phone revealed "numerous messages suggestive of his involvement in narcotics trafficking."

If convicted on the federal charges, both Mendez and Brito face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. The duo is also facing state charges of murder, manslaughter, assault, drug possession, and child endangerment.

This incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of drug trafficking and the importance of providing proper care for our children. Let us all hope that justice is served in this case and that the families of those affected can find some closure.

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