Suffolk Man Who Sold Lethal Amounts Of Fentanyl Out Of Home Also Charged With Animal Cruelty: DA

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY — A Middle Island man was indicted after selling fentanyl out of his home, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Troy Daniels, 44, was indicted on charges including four counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance after reportedly selling fentanyl out of his residence; Daniels and his girlfriend Toni Gerwycki, 31, of Middle Island, also face animal cruelty charges after being accused of neglecting four American Bully puppies, the DA said.

According to the investigation, on several dates between May 2025 and July 2025, an undercover police officer purchased large quantities of fentanyl from Daniels, the DA said. Each time, Daniels instructed the undercover officer to meet him in the parking lot of his apartment complex, located on Tudor Lane in Middle Island, Tierney said.

After the two met up, Daniels would, on each occasion, sell more than two ounces of fentanyl to the officer, an amount sufficient to kill more than 28,000 people, the DA said.

On July 18, members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office East End Drug Task Force executed a court-authorized search warrant at Daniels’ Middle Island residence to look for narcotics and other related drug paraphernalia, the DA said.

When they entered, they saw three American Bully puppies living in "deplorable and unsafe" conditions, Tierney said. The three puppies were found confined in one crate with no food or water, and laying in feces and urine, the DA said.

A fourth American Bully dog was found severely infected, with inflamed ears that required the immediate attention of a veterinarian. Members of the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team were contacted, and all dogs were taken to a veterinarian for medical attention, the DA said.

During the search inside the apartment, officers recovered more than one-half ounce of fentanyl, over one-half ounce of fentanyl mixed with heroin, and over one-eighth ounce of fentanyl mixed with cocaine, Tierney said.

Also recovered were drug paraphernalia, including glassine envelopes used to package narcotics for sale, scales, and a shotgun, the DA said.

The handling and packaging of fentanyl can sometimes result in the fentanyl going airborne, or a small amount falling to the floor, Tierney said. Fentanyl poses a risk of death to dogs and other animals, in the same manner that it can be deadly to humans, Tierney said.

On August 5 Daniels was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz on charges including four counts of first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, Class A felonies; 13 counts of third-degree counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, Class B felonies; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a Class C felony; two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia, Class A misdemeanors; one count of fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor; one count of overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals, a Class A misdemeanor; and three counts of failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded animals, an unclassified misdemeanor, the DA said.

Justice Horowitz ordered Daniels held on $500,000 cash, $1 million bond or $2 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case; Daniels is due back in court on September 4 and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the top count, the DA said.

He is being represented by John LoTurco, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On August 11, Gerwycki was arraigned on the indictment before Justice Richard Horowitz for one count of overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals, a Class A misdemeanor, and three counts of failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded animals, unclassified misdemeanors, the DA said.

Justice Horowitz ordered Gerwycki released from jail without bail because both charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set, bail, Tierney said.

Gerwycki is due back in court on August 22, and faces up to a year in jail, if convicted on the top count, the DA said. She is being represented by Ian Fitzgerald, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Each illicit transaction of fentanyl has lethal potential," said Tierney. "Dealers must face consequences commensurate with the threat that their actions pose to our community."