Suffolk DA indicts Hauppauge man in fentanyl death of Mastic resident

A Hauppauge man was indicted in the fentanyl death of a 53-year-old Mastic resident, a case Suffolk prosecutors say shows how a street drug sale can end in a South Shore bedroom. Michael Dirago, 72, was charged April 28, 2026, with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree and related offenses.

Police responded to a 911 overdose call at the Mastic home on Sept. 14, 2024, and found the victim unresponsive in his bedroom. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later determined the cause of death was acute mixed drug intoxication involving fentanyl and xylazine.

Investigators said the victim had contacted a phone number saved as “Mike Gangster” the day before he died, on Sept. 13, 2024, and later identified Dirago as that contact. In early 2026, an undercover officer allegedly bought 999 fentanyl pills from Dirago. A search warrant executed at Dirago’s Hauppauge home on April 16, 2026, allegedly recovered about 500 additional pills and $27,964 in cash. The Suffolk County Crime Laboratory confirmed the pills contained fentanyl, and xylazine and tramadol were also detected below the threshold for full confirmation.

The case was investigated by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force, which includes the district attorney’s office, East Hampton Town Police, New York State Police, Riverhead Police, Southold Police, Southampton Town Police, Suffolk County Police and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors said the indictment is part of the county’s broader push to target dealers tied to fatal overdoses as fentanyl continues to drive deaths across Suffolk County.

Raymond A. Tierney said the case also highlights what he views as a gap in New York law. He has argued that Chelsey’s Law would give prosecutors the ability to charge drug dealers with manslaughter when the drugs they sell cause a death, a charge he said is not currently available. Suffolk County has reported more than 400 overdose deaths in a year, according to a prior district attorney’s office release on fentanyl legislation.

The local forensic burden is significant. The Suffolk County Office of the Medical Examiner, based in Hauppauge, says it investigates about 6,200 deaths a year and performs about 1,300 autopsies annually. County officials also say the Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services coordinates treatment and overdose-prevention efforts and maintains an Opioid Settlement Fund Dashboard as Suffolk continues to wrestle with the human cost of fentanyl.