DA: Nicholas Romano sold fentanyl-laced cocaine to overdose victim
A Lindenhurst man sold fentanyl-laced cocaine to a Copiague man who later had a fatal overdose from the drug combination, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
Nicholas Romano, 33, was arraigned Friday on charges of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski ordered Romano held on bail of $100,000 cash or $300,000 bond.
“Unfortunately, it appears that the victim here thought he was getting cocaine, but he was instead given a fatal quantity of fentanyl,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “Anyone considering using illegal drugs needs to be forewarned — the flood of cheap fentanyl into our communities means that you are most likely receiving fentanyl whether you know it or not.”
Efforts to reach Romano’s defense attorney Friday night were not successful.
On Nov. 16, 2022, Suffolk police officers responded to a home in Copiague for an apparent drug overdose after the victim was found unresponsive in his bedroom by family members, investigators said. The victim was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where he died four days later as a result of an overdose, prosecutors said.
On Nov. 18 police obtained a cellphone belonging to the victim, authorities said. Investigators found Facebook messages between the victim and an account holder using the name “Nicky Racks,” which was later confirmed to belong to Romano, officials said.
The messages showed that on Nov. 15 and 16, Romano agreed to sell the victim $260 worth of “blow,” a street term for cocaine, records show.
On Nov. 16 shortly after 7 p.m., Romano messaged the victim the location where they should meet, prosecutors said. Less than two hours later, the victim was discovered unresponsive in his bed.
The day after the overdose, the victim’s mother found a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance in a drawer in the victim’s bedroom, prosecutors said. The substance was sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory and determined to be a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl.
Romano was arrested on Feb. 21.
He is due back in court on April 3 and faces up to nine years in prison on each count.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
