Jul. 14 2023, Published 7:51 p.m. ET
A 20-year-old known as the “Percocet Princess” has been arrested after allegedly selling Robert De Niro’s grandson fake Oxycodone and Xanax pills laced with fentanyl. Sophia Haley Marks was being held without bail on federal narcotics charges in Manhattan Friday after RadarOnline.com exclusively revealed police launched a manhunt for the dealer who sold the illicit drugs to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez,19, that resulted in the teen’s death.
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Marks is suspected of selling Rodriguez the pills the night before he was found dead inside a New York City apartment. According to the criminal indictment, she warned De Niro’s grandson about the pills by telling him, “I don’t wanna kill u,” before selling him the fentanyl-laced oxy.
Text messages indicate that she tried to talk him out of buying the pills after he reached out to buy “thirties” — blue counterfeit oxy — on June 30.
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Marks allegedly responded that they were potentially dangerous, asking him, “Do you really need them?” before cautioning, “I [don’t] wanna kill u.”
“I don’t like serving you cause they’re not ‘script,” she reportedly added, revealing they were not prescription-grade.
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De Niro’s grandson asked if the pills were cut with “fent or h,” a reference to fentanyl or heroin. Despite the warning, Marks allegedly agreed to sell him three “pressed” oxy pills and two Xanax pills for $105.
Law enforcement sources claimed Marks sent the four pills to Rodriguez by car service around 9:30 PM on July 1, reported the New York Post.
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Marks allegedly texted Rodriguez to ask if he was okay at 2 AM, but he never responded. De Niro’s grandchild died of a suspected overdose on July 2.
Sources told RadarOnline.com that cops always suspected he ingested a drug laced with fentanyl and were determined to find the culprit who sold the substance that killed Rodriguez.
Those familiar with the investigation revealed his lifeless body was found in a chair at a Lower Manhattan apartment he was believed to be housesitting.
Marks was arrested after allegedly trying to sell 50 painkillers to undercover officers for $1k. She allegedly told one of the cops that a 19-year-old friend of hers had died after taking the pills on June 14 — just weeks before Rodriguez’s shocking death.
When they took Marks into custody on Thursday, law enforcement allegedly found 156 pills and $1,500 in cash.
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The “Percocet Princess” was hit with three counts of narcotics distribution and faces up to 60 years behind bars. Marks is due back in court on August 14.
De Niro released a statement shortly after his grandson’s death.
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“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” the actor said. “We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.”
Rodriguez was the son of De Niro’s adopted daughter, Drena De Niro.