City, State and federal officials announced Wednesday, July 16, that a Manhattan man has been arrested after what was described as a short-term investigation into a fentanyl packaging and distribution operation, which led authorities to recover around 4.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl (nearly 10 pounds) from a third-floor apartment in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on Monday, July 13. They said the raid prompted an evacuation of the building in which two daycare centers are located.

 

During the short-term investigation, officials said agents and officers with Task Force Group T-14 had conducted physical and electronic surveillance prior to the raid. They said they observed the defendant, Antonio Cabrera, 62, repeatedly entering and exiting Apt. 3J at 2075 Morris Avenue, a 5-story, residential building, over the course of a week. They said on multiple occasions, he remained inside the apartment for around six to eight hours before leaving again.

 

They said that on July 13, at around 2.30 p.m., agents and officers approached the apartment door accompanied by NYPD K9 “Mulk,” who alerted the group to the presence of narcotics. They said agents and officers gained access to the apartment after hearing commotion inside and allegedly observed Cabrera cupping powdered narcotics with his hands and attempting to toss it out of a window. They said white powder coated surfaces in the apartment, including the floor.

They said the powder became airborne, prompting law enforcement officers to clear and secure the apartment and other areas in the building. They said NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) and HazMat Team responded to the scene and evacuated 14 children from the two daycare centers on the building’s first floor as a precaution and no injuries were reported. They added that members of Task Force Group T-14 took Cabrera into custody.

 

Officials said that at around 3.30 p.m., detectives with the NYPD’s ESU conducted a court authorized search of the apartment and recovered nearly 10 pounds of fentanyl. They said some of the fentanyl had already been packaged into glassine envelopes that were stamped with brand names in preparation for distribution.

 

They said all the equipment necessary for processing fentanyl was present, including blenders used for mixing narcotics, boxes of empty glassine envelopes, scales, stamps, and inkpads. They said stamp names included “Black Mamba,” “Pandemic,” “Covid-19,” “Blue Magic,” and “Shot.” They said the results of DEA laboratory analysis on the recovered substances are pending.

 

A criminal complaint filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) charges Cabrera with seven counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, one count of reckless endangerment in the second degree, and two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree. He is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Bridget G. Brennan, NYC SNP, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Christopher Roberts, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) NY task force division, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and NYS Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced the charges against Cabrera following his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on July 14. They said he was held in custody without bail being set.

 

Brennan said in part of the raid and arrest that she appreciated the hard work and sacrifice of the attorneys and investigators who identified the drug packaging operation. “I commend the investigators from our office, the NYPD, DEA and State Police who shut down the narcotics operation, and NYPD Emergency Service Unit and HazMat responders who ensured the safety of children in nearby daycare centers.”

 

For her part, Clark said in part, “”This case is the latest to show the lethal threat that fentanyl poses to our community. As arresting officers closed in, this defendant in an attempt to separate himself from the narcotics and with no regard for innocent people in the building and on the street, allegedly tossed the drugs out of a third-floor window.”

 

She added, “It is a miracle that none of the children in the daycare center or people on the sidewalk were injured. I thank the investigators from the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, the NYPD, DEA and New York State Police who joined forces to take down this fentanyl drug packaging operation. May this reinforce in the minds of the public that law enforcement is laser focused on ridding our community of these deadly drugs.”

 

According to law enforcement and prosecutors, the investigation was carried out by the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force Group T-14, with assistance from SNP’s investigators unit. Task Force Group T-14 is comprised of agents and officers from DEA New York Division, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). The NYPD’s emergency service unit (ESU) and HazMat team assisted, as did the NYPD K9 Unit, according to officials.

 

Sharing his reaction, Roberts said in part, “Once again the DEA New York Task Force Division, alongside our law enforcement partners, has dismantled another fentanyl packaging and distribution operation operating out of a Bronx apartment building, which also housed two daycare facilities. In one particularly disturbing moment, as our Task Force agents, officers, and K-9 “Mulk” made entry into the apartment, the defendant attempted to dispose the fentanyl powder by throwing it out of a window, exposing our personnel and residents living in the building to this deadly poison.”

 

He added, “This was not simply drug trafficking; it is blatant disregard for human life and could have become a death sentence for the innocent families living in the building. This operation underscores both the scale and the lethality of the threat we confront every day and highlights the grave danger these traffickers pose to our children, our neighbors, and our communities.”

Tisch said in part the defendant “recklessly” endangered the lives of innocent children. “The NYPD will work tirelessly to find drugs, shut down illegal pipelines, and hold criminals accountable,” she said. “I thank our NYPD investigators and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office for their diligent work on this case, which recovered 4.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl.”

 

Meanwhile James said in part that the investigation demonstrated the critical importance of strong partnerships between local, State, and federal law enforcement agencies. “The amount of suspected fentanyl recovered had the potential to cause devastating harm to our communities, and the fact that this operation was taking place in a residential building with children nearby underscores just how dangerous these criminal activities can be,” he said.

 

James added, “I commend the members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, our State Police investigators, and all of our law enforcement partners for their professionalism, swift action, and unwavering commitment to protecting the people of New York.”

As reported, Clark had announced on March 4 that the operator of another Morris Avenue daycare center in Kingsbridge Heights and her husband were each sentenced to 25 years to life in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy for the accidental death due to fentanyl poisoning of 22-month-old Nicholas Feliz Domenici on Sept. 15, 2023, and for the exposure of three other children to fentanyl poisoning, who ended up surviving the poisoning.

 

As reported, Grei Mendez, 38, the daycare operator and Felix Herrera Garcia, 37, her husband, both of 2705 Morris Avenue, The Bronx, were found guilty on a State charge of second-degree murder (depraved indifference to human life) on Nov. 21, 2025. Additionally, Mendez was found guilty of the State charge of first-degree assault and Herrera Garcia was found guilty of the State charge of second-degree assault on the same date. Both had previously pleaded guilty in federal court on separate federal charges relating to the incident. Read more on that case here.

 

As reported, last year, the city council passed various laws, sponsored by Sanchez on daycare inspection training and parents’ rights as regards childcare programs, something Nicholas’s parents had pressed for in the wake of his death. Other protective laws sponsored by State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) and other legislators have since passed at State level, as reported.

Meanwhile, as also reported, on Friday, March 6, at a separate event at the early childhood center located on the campus of Bronx Community College in the University Heights section of The Bronx, Norwood News asked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his visit to the center if he had any words for Nicholas’ parents following the latest sentencing, and in the context of his administration’s roll-out of a 2K childcare program later this year in certain designated areas of the City.

 

“I think what I would say is we are focused on the safety well being of every single child across our city,” the mayor said. “It’s the cornerstone of everything that we do, and even today, when we’re here to speak about the expansion of universal childcare in our city, we do so knowing that we are looking to deliver high quality, safe childcare for every single family, and so as part of increasing access, and part of tackling an affordability crisis, it’s also a focus on ensuring this is the very kind of environment that any family will feel safe sending their child to.”

NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN Mamdani visits BCC’s early childhood center, The Bronx, 3/6/26. V2

On the first anniversary of Nicholas’ death, Nicholas Feliz Dominici Way was unveiled in his memory at Kingsbridge Terrace and East Kingsbridge Road in the his native Kingsbridge Heights. It followed prior remembrance services.

 

Brennan thanked Clark, and commended SNP’s Special Investigations Bureau and Investigators Unit, the DEA New York Task Force Division, the NYPD, and the NYS Police for their work on the investigation. She also thanked the emergency medical responders and hazardous materials team from the NYPD for what she said was their quick response.