A New Bedford man has plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced federal authorities. Jose Santiago, 46, entered his plea in a Boston federal court on February 12, confessing to his role in a drug trafficking ring that extended across Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to a justice department press release dated February 14.
Caught up in the web of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, Santiago now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison following his indictment by a federal grand jury last August. Intercepted calls laid bare the reality of Santiago's dealings, with recordings of him plotting to buy the potent synthetic opioid from the network he later distributed, as reported by the justice department.
The case is a product of a broad coalition, boasting participation from a swathe of local and federal agencies, including the DEA and police departments from New Bedford to Providence, Rhode Island. The size of the fine for Santiago's conspiracy could balloon to a staggering $1 million, with a minimum of three years to lifetime supervised release potentially being tacked onto his prison term. Sentencing guidelines and related statutes will guide the hand of U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs as she contemplates Santiago's fate on May 7.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy alongside various law enforcement leaders announced the guilty plea. Levy's office, with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, is handling the prosecution.
