An overdose caused the death of Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson, and an arrest has been made in the case.
On Thursday, police in New York City arrested 20-year-old Sofia Haley Marks for selling cocaine to the deceased, Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez.
According to the article, she was taken into custody at approximately 6 p.m. EST as part of an undercover sting operation involving local and federal law enforcement. The federal government has accused her of narcotics offenses.
Law officers discovered “a white powdery substance and drug paraphernalia” close to Leandro’s body.
Drena De Niro, Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez’s mother, said last week that her son, 19-year-old Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, died after purchasing fentanyl-laced tablets. Drena is De Niro’s oldest daughter. The star of “Taxi Driver” adopted her in 1976, the same year as the film’s release, after marrying Diahnne Abbott (Drena’s mother.)
Drena adopted the surname, De Niro. Abbott and the Academy Award winner split up in 1988.
De Niro, who is 79, just welcomed a daughter into his family. On April 6 this year, he and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen had a daughter, Gia Virginia Chen De Niro.
On Monday, the academy award-winning actor stated on the passing of his grandchild, saying he is heartbroken by the loss of his precious grandson, Leo.
Reuters cites a recent CDC analysis which found that from 2016 to 2021, the rate of drug fatalities using fentanyl rose from 5.7 per 100,000 people to approximately 22 per 100,000 persons.
According to preliminary figures published by the federal government, about 110,000 individuals in the United States died from drug overdoses last year.
Candidates for public office now frequently bring up fentanyl as a top problem on the campaign trail.
It’s also been linked to the deaths of other celebrities, including a former Disney executive, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a rap musician, all within the past few months.
