Earlier today in federal court in Central Islip, Ryan Mueller was sentenced to 22 years in prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a retired police officer. United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack also ordered Mueller to forfeit $49,394 and two firearms. Mueller had pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl causing death in December 2024.
The announcement was made by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Frank A Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
“Mueller operated a massive and deadly fentanyl scheme. He built vending-machine-sized pill presses, possessed kilos of fentanyl and millions of fake and deadly pharmaceutical pills, and sold the fentanyl that led to the tragic loss of life of a retired police officer,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Although no punishment can make up for a life lost, today’s sentence sends the message that our Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop working to stop unscrupulous drug dealers who distribute poison.”
Nocella thanked both the Nassau County Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations in New York for their roles in the investigation.
“Ryan Mueller’s decision to make and distribute fentanyl laced counterpart pills resulted in the death of an unsuspecting user who thought he was taking a legitimate pharmaceutical pill. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers that counterfeit pills have on our communities,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Tarentino. “In February of 2025, the DEA and law enforcement partners seized approximately 3.4 million counterfeit pills from Mueller, making it one of the largest pill seizures in the New York Division’s history. Many of the pills seized and tested in our laboratory contained lethal doses of fentanyl. This wasn’t just a normal investigation; it was a life-saving operation. The DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to target those poisoning our communities and hold them accountable. While today’s sentencing is a small victory, the harm it has caused this family will be long lasting.”
Court documents indicate that over several years, Mueller conspired with others to sell controlled substances such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and oxycodone. In December 2022, a retired police officer died at his Long Island residence from an overdose caused by a pressed pill containing fentanyl supplied by Mueller.
Authorities recovered several kilograms of fentanyl from Mueller’s home along with equipment used for manufacturing counterfeit pills at another storage location he controlled.
During February 2025 operations linked to this case, law enforcement seized about 3.4 million fake pharmaceutical pills—including fake oxycodone containing fentanyl—fake Xanax tablets, more than 300,000 Quaalude tablets, as well as roughly 600 grams of brick-form fentanyl from product distributed by Mueller.
According to recent data released by national health agencies such as CDC and DOJ: around 80,391 people died from drug overdoses nationwide during 2024—making it among leading causes for injury-related deaths across America—and much of this increase is attributed largely to synthetic opioids like fentanyl which are significantly more potent than morphine or heroin. Specifically regarding synthetic opioids like fentanyl: there were approximately 48,422 related overdose deaths reported nationwide during 2024—a significant reduction compared with over 76 thousand similar deaths recorded just one year earlier—while overall overdose fatalities dropped by about twenty-seven percent between these two years.
The prosecution was managed by Assistant United States Attorney Adam R. Toporovsky from the Criminal Section within Long Island Division with support from Paralegal Specialist Janelle Robinson.
Ryan Mueller
Age: 33
Lynbrook, New York
E.D.N.Y Docket No.: 24-CR-134
