Posted on: June 02, 2026 10:30 AM

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Bronx man charged with distributing fentanyl that caused the fatal overdoses of three victims including a 12 year old child

The Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Task Force Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Christopher Roberts, and the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging ARISTIDES CABRERA, a/k/a “Buddha,” with drug crimes resulting in the fatal poisoning of Alex DeFilippo and Kyla McCarthy on May 29, 2022.  The Indictment previously charged CABRERA with drug crimes resulting in the fatal poisoning of a 12‑year-old child on June 28, 2022, and with having used, carried, and possessed firearms in connection with his drug trafficking crimes.  On March 25, 2026, following the initial Indictment, CABRERA was brought into federal custody from New York State custody, where he had been serving state sentences for other firearm and drug crimes.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.

“As alleged, Cabrera’s drug dealing not only caused the death of a 12-year-old child but also the deaths of two adults,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This case shows: if you deal fentanyl, you’ve chosen to deal in death.  And there is no place for you in New York.”

“Today’s unsealing of a superseding indictment against Aristides Cabrera sends a clear and powerful message to those who continue to poison our communities with fentanyl and other illicit drugs: your day of reckoning is coming,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts.  “This defendant’s alleged actions contributed to the tragic loss of three lives, including that of a young person whose future was senselessly stolen.  The blatant and utter disregard for human life demonstrated in this case underscores the devastating toll drug traffickers inflict on our communities and families every day.  Through the tireless work of our investigators and the close collaboration of our prosecutorial partners, we were able to pursue death-resulting charges that reflect the gravity of these allegations and the irreversible harm caused.  While no investigation or prosecution can restore the lives lost, the DEA remains steadfast in its mission to ensure those responsible for fueling addiction, violence, and death are identified and brought to justice.”

“Because of this defendant, three New Yorkers, including a 12-year-old child with disabilities, overdosed on drugs and lost their lives,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “Despite knowing about these deaths, the defendant continued selling the same narcotics, showing a complete disregard for human life.  This case is a devastating example of the danger fentanyl poses, especially when it is brought into a home with children.  I thank the NYPD detectives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District, and our law enforcement partners for working to hold this criminal accountable.”

 As alleged in the Indictment and other public filings:

From at least in or about November 2017 through in or about January 2024, CABRERA worked with others to sell, among other things, heroin, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx, New York.  During a single-month span of that period, between on or about May 29, 2022, and on or about June 28, 2022, CABRERA’s drugs killed three people, including a 12-year-old boy with a history of autism spectrum disorder who had been residing with CABRERA and others in his Bronx apartment.  

Despite knowing about these deaths, CABRERA continued selling the same drugs, including during a later period in which he was detained at a state correctional facility. CABRERA led his drug trafficking operation, in part, from his Bronx apartment, where he stored firearms and significant quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, a deadly fentanyl analogue.  CABRERA stored narcotics, including fentanyl-laced pills, in multiple locations in his apartment, including in a safe where he also kept firearms.  CABRERA typically met and sold drugs to customers in the immediate vicinity of his apartment.

On or about May 29, 2022, CABRERA met with and sold drugs to Alex DeFilippo (also identified in the Indictment as Victim-1) and a relative of DeFilippo. CABRERA knew DeFilippo and had previously engaged in narcotics transactions with him. CABRERA also previously discussed drug sales with DeFilippo’s intimate partner, Kyla McCarthy (also identified in the Indictment as Victim-2).  After purchasing CABRERA’s drugs, DeFilippo returned to McCarthy’s apartment.  Shortly thereafter that same day, McCarthy’s cellphone was used to conduct three internet searches, all of which related to the use of naloxone (commonly known as Narcan), a nasal spray used to reverse the deadly effects of overdoses from opioids like fentanyl.  Approximately eighteen hours later, at the request of one of McCarthy’s family members, NYPD officers responded to the apartment to conduct a wellness check. Inside, NYPD officers discovered DeFilippo and McCarthy, both of whom had died after ingesting the fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl sold to them by CABRERA.  One unused dose of Narcan was found at McCarthy’s feet.

Less than a month after the fatal overdoses of DeFilippo and McCarthy, on or about June 28, 2022, at CABRERA’s apartment, a 12-year-old boy was found by a family member in his bed unresponsive and foaming at the mouth.  The boy was transported to a Bronx County hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

CABRERA, 35, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and three counts of distribution of narcotics resulting in death, all of which crimes carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.  CABRERA is also charged with firearms use, carrying, and possession in connection with his drug trafficking crimes, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, DEA, and Drug Enforcement Task Force Division, as well as Special Agents, Task Force Officers, the Digital Forensics Unit, and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the case.

From DOJ