Robert DeNiro
20-year-old woman arrested after grandson’s death
Robert De Niro lost his grandson Leandro a few weeks ago.
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Robert De Niro’s grandson died in early July – possibly from pills laced with fentanyl. Now a woman has allegedly been arrested.
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the grandson of Hollywood star Robert De Niro (79), died around two weeks ago at the age of 19. As his mother made public, her son apparently died of a pill overdose. “Someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills,” wrote De Niro’s daughter, Drena, 51. shortly after his death in a comment on Instagram. This was not an accident, the dealers would have known that the pills were adulterated with the dangerous substance. Now it may also be clear who sold the pills to the 19-year-old.
The US gossip portal “TMZ” reports, citing statements from the policethat a 20-year-old woman was arrested by New York police on Thursday (July 13). She may have been the person who is said to have sold the deadly tablets to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez. It is not yet known whether charges will be filed.
De Niro Rodriguez was found dead at his home on July 2, 2023. Like his grandfather and mother, he worked as an actor. In the film “A Star is Born” (2018) he played the son of George “Noodles” Stone (Dave Chappelle, 49), who was friends with Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper, 48).
Fentanyl crisis in the US
The United States has been in a fentanyl crisis since the early 2000s, which has only gotten worse in recent months. The man-made opioid is one of the most powerful painkillers and is often referred to as “the deadliest drug ever”. Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and even up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Two milligrams are enough for an overdose. According to statistics, one person dies from a fentanyl overdose every seven minutes.
Particularly insidious: Fentanyl is often used as a diluent in illegal drugs such as heroin, amphetamine, cocaine or in the form of pressed tablets. Some medications are also diluted with opioids. The white powder is odorless, relatively easy to obtain, and more affordable than other opioids. Therefore, consumers can hardly tell whether a drug or medication has been diluted with fentanyl.
Several celebrities have also died from a fentanyl dose in recent years. Actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. died in November 2022 at the age of 60 from “acute intoxication due to the effects of fentanyl and cocaine”. In September 2022, rapper Coolio (1963-2022) died of a fentanyl overdose. Actress Anne Heche (1969-2022) is said to have also consumed fentanyl before her fatal car accident in the summer of 2022.
A prominent example shows how harsh the penalties for dealers who sell drugs mixed with fentanyl can be: rapper Mac Miller (1992-2018) died of an overdose – according to media reports, the man who sold him the drug became one sentenced to ten years and eleven months imprisonment.