NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Staten Island man was sentenced to 17.5 months in prison Tuesday for dealing heroin and fentanyl responsible for two overdose deaths, officials announced.
Known by the nickname “Lite,” 38-year-old Nalerton Charles, sold at least 40 grams of fentanyl and heroin laced with fentanyl between July 2018 and April 2019, authorities said.
One 43-year-old man who purchased the drugs from Charles in Sept. 2018 was found dead of an overdose in his Staten Island home. Drug packaging found near the man’s body was the same as the packaging Charles used for the drugs he sold. The victim’s phone also indicated that he bought narcotics from Charles the night before he died, authorities said.
Another victim, aged 29, was found dead of a drug-related overdose on April 23, 2019 at his Staten Island home. Text messages on his phone showed he communicated with Charles the morning of his death. “Is it mix w fentonal…Just wanna know to be careful,” the victim said in a message to Charles. The dealer replied “U good” just before the victim’s body was found, officials said.
Autopsies were performed on both victims which revealed traces of heroin and fentanyl in their bodies, according to court documents.
Along with selling drugs to both victims, Charles also sold pure fentanyl to a confidential source and an undercover NYPD officer in doses that could have been lethal if consumed.
“Charles contributed to the terrible opioid epidemic in our district by selling heroin laced with fentanyl, and on occasion fentanyl alone, with flagrant disregard for the potentially deadly consequences of the drugs to users,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace. “The defendant’s conviction and today’s sentence are the result of the relentless efforts by this Office and our law enforcement partners to prosecute traffickers dealing lethal drugs for profit and bring justice for the victims and families devastated by the opioid scourge.”
Charles pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute narcotics in Nov. 2021.
“Fentanyl is responsible for nearly 80% of all drug-related overdose deaths in New York,” said DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. “It is cases like this that highlight the dangers of synthetic drugs and the consequences associated with illicit drug use and drug trafficking. I commend the members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York for their relentless work in keeping the communities safe.”
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