BURLINGTON, Vt. — A Springfield, Massachusetts, man was sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking and arranging for the straw purchase of a gun following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England special agents.
Keniel Santiago, 21, was sentenced June 10 in the District of Vermont to five years in prison and a three-year term of supervised release. Santiago previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin and crack cocaine in Vermont between September 2020 and March 2021 and aiding and abetting making false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm in Vermont in January 2021.
HSI’s investigation found Santiago worked with co-conspirators to bring heroin and crack cocaine from Springfield, Massachusetts, to Bennington, Vermont, where they sold the illegal drugs. Santiago also arranged for one of his co-conspirators to purchase a handgun for Santiago from a dealer in Vermont. In doing so, Santiago’s co-conspirator lied to the firearms dealer, saying the gun was for them and not for Santiago. Santiago knew that his associate had to lie to make the purchase. In exchange for the gun, Santiago paid them in money and drugs.
The investigation was led by HSI New England’s Burlington Resident Agent in Charge office in collaboration with the Bennington Police Department, the Vermont State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.