A third person has been arrested in New York in connection with the possession of fentanyl that was hidden in a nursery and led to the poisoning of four children, one of whom died from an apparent overdose.

Large quantities of narcotics were found stashed at the nursery, Divino Nino Daycare in the Bronx, including a kilogram of fentanyl, a drug that can be 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Packages of suspected drugs were stashed on top of play mats and hidden underneath floorboards in the room where children played and slept.

Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, also known as El Gallo, was arrested on Monday and charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

It comes after nursery owner, Grei Mendez, 36, and a building tenant, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were also arrested on charges of depraved indifference murder, assault and criminal possession of narcotics, including fentanyl.

All three face up to a maximum of life in prison if convicted.

The arrests follow the death of one-year-old, Nicholas Dominici, who died from an apparent fentanyl overdose after attending the nursery.

Three other children under the age of three were also hospitalised with serious injuries. They were revived after medics gave them the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, the authorities said.

Damian Williams, the US attorney in New York, said the latest arrest was “one more step toward obtaining justice for the child victims of this heinous offence and their families”.

Following Paredes’ arrest, police found drugs and tools commonly used to prepare and distribute narcotics in the flat where he had been living.

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The New York nursery facility opened in January this year. It passed both of its inspections, the authorities said, including a surprise visit made by inspectors earlier this month, although one resident told the New York Post that it was “obvious” the daycare was a drug front.

Like much of the country, the city has seen rising levels of opioid-related deaths, with the vast majority of fatalities now attributed to Fentanyl.

New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner, Edward Caban, said the charges prove the determination to eradicate the threat of illicit fentanyl “cannot and will not stop”.

“The NYPD and our law enforcement partners remain committed to investigating and holding fully accountable anyone who puts the lives of our children in danger. New Yorkers’ families, and our communities, depend on it,” he said.

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