Life in Prison: The Penalty for Selling Drugs to a Teenager
Two Queens men face mandatory 20-year minimums after a Westchester minor died from cocaine and MDMA.
By Naomi Tesfaye ·
The federal government has set the floor at 20 years in prison for two Queens men accused of selling drugs to a teenager who died in May 2026. Jordan Sharon, 19, and Juan Umpierrez, 20, were indicted in the Southern District of New York on three counts related to a conspiracy that resulted in an overdose death. The charges carry maximum penalties ranging from 40 years to life imprisonment.
United States Attorney Jamie McDonald announced the unsealing of the indictment alongside DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. The case centers on the death of a minor in Westchester County. The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the victim died from intoxication with cocaine and MDMA.
According to court documents, Sharon and Umpierrez operated a drug delivery service from May through August 2026. They advertised their stock via text messaging applications to customers in the New York City metropolitan area. The digital menus listed prices for cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and oxycodone. The sellers claimed the substances were tested and authentic. They also offered discounts to customers who referred new buyers.
Umpierrez initiated contact with the minor victim in May 2026. He agreed to sell cocaine and provided the victim with a phone number for Sharon. Sharon then communicated directly with the teenager regarding the sale and delivery. The indictment alleges the defendants sold controlled substances near a school and while the victim was under 21.
Sharon traveled from Queens to Westchester County on two separate occasions in May. On the first trip, he sold cocaine, oxycodone, and MDMA to the victim in a parking lot near a Middle and High School campus. On the second trip, he sold only cocaine. The minor victim died at his home two days after that second transaction.
Sharon faces one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death. This charge requires a minimum of 20 years in federal prison and allows for a sentence of up to life. He also faces one count of distribution near a school, which carries a maximum of 40 years. A third count for distribution to a minor carries a minimum of one year and a maximum of 40 years.
Umpierrez faces the same three counts. Both defendants are from Queens and are currently presumed innocent until proven guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita Maxwell is leading the prosecution in the Office’s Narcotics Unit.
The investigation involved the DEA, the NYPD, and the Westchester District Attorney’s Office. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
