An 18-year-old accused of supplying fentanyl disguised as cocaine to two female college students allegedly knew something was terribly wrong with the drugs long before tragedy struck. More than a week before bringing the deadly substance to a Manhattan dormitory, he allegedly described it as “straight poison.” He gave it to the women anyway, and one woman never woke up, according to a chilling federal court transcript reviewed by Los Angeles Magazine.
The 40-page transcript from an April 13 bail hearing in Manhattan federal court sheds more light on the disturbing allegations against Moises Freire, now 19, who is accused of supplying the deadly drugs to a 21-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology student and another young woman inside their Manhattan dormitory on March 18, 2026. Although other news outlets have publicly identified the deceased student, Los Angeles Magazine has elected to withhold her name at this time.
The 21-year-old young woman sadly never regained consciousness and died three days later. Her friend survived after receiving emergency medical treatment.
As Los Angeles previously reported, Freire and alleged supplier Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, were named in a superseding federal indictment unsealed October 15. Prosecutors allege the two participated in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that resulted in the young woman’s death and serious injuries to the other student. Freire is also accused of raping her while she was unconscious.
A third man, Harry Rosales Pino, who prosecutors named as an earlier supplier in the drug distribution chain, pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He is awaiting sentencing, reportedly scheduled for December.
But the earlier bail hearing reveals additional details about what the feds say Freire knew before bringing the drugs to the dormitory, what he allegedly told the women to convince them the substance was safe, and what he did after they lost consciousness.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariana Bloom, Freire had sampled the powder on March 7, approximately 11 days before the incident, and experienced troubling physical symptoms.
“He felt lightheaded. He was trembling. He felt like he was about to throw up,” Bloom told U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein during the April hearing.
Freire allegedly discussed the experience with a friend over Instagram messenger, expressing doubts that the substance was actually cocaine.
“I don’t know what I took, but this isn’t coke,” Freire allegedly wrote.
In another message, he described the substance as “straight poison.”
Bloom told the judge that Freire’s friend also expressed concerns after seeing a photograph of the powder, allegedly suggesting that Freire give the drugs to the women rather than use them himself.
“Disturbingly, the defendant did exactly that,” Bloom told the court.
Federal prosecutors allege Freire brought the same powder to the dormitory on March 18, despite having experienced the uncomfortable effects himself. That night, Freire did not consume any of the substance. The transcript details how Freire allegedly misrepresented the drugs’ origins and purity to the women.
The surviving student told investigators Freire claimed he had recently traveled to Mexico and obtained exceptionally pure cocaine from someone he trusted.
“He said he had just gone on a trip to Mexico. It was pure. He got it from Mexico from someone he would trust with his life,” Bloom told the judge. Prosecutors said they recovered messages in which Freire admitted to a friend that he had fabricated the Mexico story.
The government says that Freire used those claims to encourage the women to consume the powder, despite having previously questioned how safe it really was. Both women lost consciousness shortly after ingesting the drugs. Hospital toxicology testing later detected fentanyl but no cocaine.
What allegedly happened next is among the most disturbing details revealed in the transcript.
Bloom told the judge that Freire began messaging friends about the women’s condition at 2:29 a.m., reporting that they were unconscious and not moving after consuming the powder. Rather than immediately seeking medical assistance, Freire allegedly remained inside the dormitory for approximately 40 minutes.
During that time, prosecutors say, he sent multiple photographs of the unconscious women to friends.
“The defendant did not tell anyone. He did not call an ambulance,” Bloom told the court.
According to surveillance footage described by prosecutors, Freire did not approach campus security until 3:10 a.m. “During those 40 minutes, it’s unclear what the defendant was doing,” Bloom said, adding that investigators knew he had sent photographs of the women while they were incapacitated.
When security personnel arrived, Freire allegedly could not identify where the drugs were located. Investigators later searched the room but did not recover the substance, according to the transcript.
The transcript also reveals details of a written statement Freire allegedly gave campus security about having sex with the now deceased student. According to Bloom, Freire acknowledged sexual intercourse with the woman on the bed but claimed he had kept his eyes closed and did not realize she was unconscious until afterward. The feds questioned that explanation, pointing to security footage that they said showed Freire appearing coherent and sober. The surviving student also reportedly told investigators that her friend had previously indicated she did not want to have sex with Freire.
At the time of the April bail hearing, prosecutors had not yet charged Freire with a rape-related offense, although they told the judge they were considering additional charges based on evidence suggesting he had sexually assaulted the student while she was incapacitated.
“It’s not clear yet whether the defendant provided the drugs in an effort to incapacitate his victim and have sex with her,” Bloom told the court.
Six months later, on October 15, federal prosecutors unsealed the superseding indictment charging Freire with distributing a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape, an offense carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The new indictment also alleges that Freire had previously discussed obtaining drugs that would “last the entire night” and suggested that supplying substances strong enough to get the women addicted would be a “win win situation.”
Freire’s defense attorney, Mitchell Schwartz, pushed back against the government’s accusations, arguing that the relationship between Freire and the young woman was more complicated than prosecutors suggested. Schwartz told the court that Freire had known the woman for more than a year and that the two had previously been involved. He described Instagram messages in which she and Freire allegedly communicated, and pointed to a relationship.
Schwartz also said the surviving student messaged Freire on the night of the incident, asking him to bring identification and cocaine to the dormitory. He argued that those communications undermined the suggestion that Freire had approached the women with a preconceived plan to harm them.
Judge Stein rejected the attorney’s attempt to pose some of the earlier interactions as “youthful recklessness.”
“It’s not dumb teenager things to give somebody fentanyl, sir,” the judge said.
Schwartz also argued that Freire, who had no prior criminal record, could be released under strict conditions, including GPS monitoring, a curfew and travel restrictions. Stein denied bail, citing the strength of the government’s evidence and the lengthy prison sentence Freire could face if convicted.
“The proof is extremely strong,” the judge said, explaining that he was concerned Freire could flee rather than face the charges.
During the April hearing, Bloom also told the judge that Peralta Cabrera allegedly sold the drugs to Freire after obtaining them from Pino.
“Mr. Freire provided the drugs to the victims directly. Mr. Peralta sold the deadly drugs to Mr. Freire,” Bloom said.
Pino is expected to be sentenced in December, with December 15 reported as the tentative date. The April hearing transcript does not establish that Pino was present inside the dormitory or participated in the alleged sexual assault.
Both Freire and Peralta Cabrera pleaded not guilty to the original indictment. Their arraignments on the October superseding indictment will take place on October 28.
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