A former Bronx, New York daycare owner has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a toddler died in her care from ingesting fentanyl in September 2023.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday that Grei Mendez pleaded guilty in October to charges including conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

The charges stem from the death of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici, who was exposed to fentanyl at the daycare.

Three other children also suffered serious injuries and had to be hospitalized after authorities found two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl, who were unresponsive, in the basement of the Bronx daycare facility.

One child is dead and three others have been hospitalized after possibly consuming fentanyl at a Bronx day care center on Friday afternoon. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)

Officials said Mendez and her co-conspirators maintained more than 11 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin in secret compartments, or traps, located underneath the floor tiles in the playroom of the daycare.    

The outlet reported that Dominici burst into tears in the courtroom as prosecutors recalled her son’s final moments. 

When asked to address the court, Otoniel Feliz, Dominici’s husband, said, “She let my only son die. She didn’t do anything.”

“We didn’t just lose Nicholas. We lost our life,” Feliz added.

The outlet reported that Mendez told the court that “it was never my intention” for the children to be poisoned.

“I do want all to know it was an accident,” Mendez said, while using a Spanish interpreter.

She then claimed to “know the suffering” that the Dominici’s were feeling, as she is a mother herself and is being locked away from four children of her own.

“Believe me, this has left me traumatized,” Mendez said. “I cannot erase this from my mind.”

One of the conspirators, Mendez’s husband, Felix Herrera Garcia, was arrested in September 2023 in Sinaloa, where Mexico’s Sinaloa drug trafficking cartel, once run by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is based. 

The other conspirators arrested included 38-year-old Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, also known as “El Gallo,” and Mendez’s neighbor, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, who were both charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

Brito, like Mendez, was also charged with narcotics distribution resulting in death.

“No punishment can make up for a child lost, but today’s sentence sends the message that this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to bring to justice anyone who uses children as a shield in the drug trade,” Podolsky said. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com