The husband of the Bronx daycare owner whose child died from fentanyl is sentenced to 45 years in prison

The husband of a Bronx daycare owner was sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison for running a fentanyl ring at the facility that led to the death of a toddler last year.

Felix Herrera Garcia, 35, faces 45 years in prison and an additional five years of supervised release, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Herrera Garcia “recklessly” placed babies at risk of fentanyl exposure from October 2022 to September 2023.

“This case demonstrates the deadly reach and scale of the fentanyl epidemic and the profound harm it is inflicting on American lives, including the lives of the most vulnerable among us,” he said.

The death of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici reverberated throughout the Bronx and the city already facing a fentanyl overdose crisis and rising child care costs. Herrera Garcia’s wife, 36-year-old Grei Mendez, ran the Divino Niño daycare center in a basement apartment in a building on Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge – the kind many working parents rely on to care for their children.

Although the inspection had recently passed, investigators discovered large quantities of fentanyl hidden around the facility after three toddlers failed to wake up from their nap on September 15, 2023. Officials later determined that the children had somehow ingested a small amount of the deadly drugs and Dominici could not be revived. A fourth child, picked up earlier that day, was also taken to a hospital because he was acting lethargic and unresponsive.

On the day his trial was scheduled to begin in June, Herrera Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily harm, one count of possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death and one count of possession guilty with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in serious bodily injury.

Two weeks earlier, his co-conspirator Renny Antonio Parra Paredes had also pleaded guilty in connection with his role in distributing narcotics from the facility. Herrera Garcia’s cousin, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, rented a room in the apartment where the daycare was located and was also charged with murder, manslaughter, drug possession and child endangerment.

According to Williams’ office, the defendants hid a total of 11 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin in secret compartments or traps under the floor tiles in the playroom where the children played, ate and slept every day.

When his wife and cousin were arrested, Herrera Garcia fled to Mexico. He was later arrested and returned to New York.

The tragedy shocked the community, where working parents often rely on home day care. More than a year later, at least one day care provider in the area said inspections had become more frequent and thorough, but officials did not provide a specific number.

But Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson told Gothamist that drug abuse — and fentanyl in particular — remains a major challenge. Drug Enforcement Administration officials said the Bronx’s infrastructure and location in the middle of several major highways make it an ideal location for trafficking the powerful drug.

Mendez has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in federal court next month.

Herrera Garcia’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.