New Haven Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT SANTOS, also known as “Scoot,” 33, of New Haven, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from “Operation Bloodline,” a joint law enforcement investigation targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in the Dwight-Kensington and Fair Haven sections of New Haven.  Led by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments, the year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps on numerous telephones, extensive physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, execution of search warrants, and seizures of narcotics and firearms.  Approximately 100 individuals were convicted of federal charges as a result of the investigation.

On February 6, 2014, a jury found SANTOS guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 grams or more of heroin.

According to the evidence at trial, Kevin Wilson, also known as “Nature,” distributed narcotics, primarily in the Dwight/Chapel area of New Haven.  SANTOS partnered with Wilson, pooling money to acquire large quantities of heroin from a New York-based supplier, and then distributing the drug in greater New Haven.

Trial testimony also established that Wilson and other co-defendants shared a stash of firearms to use in furtherance of their drug trafficking activity. 

SANTOS was arrested on July 25, 2012, and is detained.

SANTOS’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including three narcotics-related convictions and one firearm-related conviction. 

Wilson pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia and Meriden Police Departments.  The United States Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, Parole and Community Services and the Milford, Hartford, New Britain, North Branford and Stratford Police Departments provided valuable assistance to the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Dave Vatti and Marc Silverman.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov