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The indictment against Ryan Mueller of Lynbrook was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York on Thursday, April 4.
Over the last few years, Mueller, age 32, is accused of conspiring with several other unnamed people to distribute controlled substances like heroin and cocaine.
According to the USAO, Mueller’s conspiring is related to the December 2022 death of a 49-year-old victim.
The man was found inside of his Elmont home. He had overdosed on fentanyl, which had been pressed to look like an oxycodone pill and allegedly sold to the man by Mueller.
As part of the investigation into the victim’s death, Mueller’s home was searched, where officials claimed to find several kilos of fentanyl.
In addition, Mueller owned firearm parts, multiple pill press parts, powder dryers, blenders, and grinders in other locations like storage units.
“The defendant’s callous disregard for human life in pushing deadly drugs onto the streets of Long Island concealed as prescription drugs has contributed to the alarming opioid epidemic that has continued to harm communities in this district,” said Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
If Mueller is convicted of the charges against him, he faces a minimum sentence of 20 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to the New York State Health Department, the number of overdose deaths involving any opioid increased by 200 percent from 2010 to 2017. In 2019, nearly 71,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, the CDC published.
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