A Waterbury man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug distribution and firearm offenses. Elvin Santos, 26, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford. He will also serve four years of supervised release after his prison term.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office took over three separate state cases involving Santos for federal prosecution.
On March 21, 2021, Waterbury Police saw Santos and others allegedly conducting hand-to-hand drug transactions from a car he was driving. Officers arrested Santos and two others at the scene. A search of the vehicle turned up three loaded handguns, extra ammunition, a digital scale, and distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine.
In June 2021, police obtained a state search warrant based on ongoing narcotics trafficking by Santos. On July 8, 2021, officers executed the warrant at his residence and stopped him as he exited his vehicle. They found approximately 50 grams of crack cocaine, 280 baggies of fentanyl, more than 120 narcotic pills, a digital scale, a .40 caliber bullet, and other items in a satchel he was carrying. A search of his car uncovered marijuana, another digital scale, drug packaging materials, and other items. In his home officers found more than one kilogram of marijuana, 250 baggies of fentanyl, drug packaging material, gun magazines, empty firearms boxes and over $10,000 in cash.
In May 2022 police obtained another state search warrant for Santos due to continued suspected narcotics trafficking. He was arrested on June 14 that year. At that time officers searched a satchel he carried and found more than 900 baggies of fentanyl along with quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana plus a digital scale. A further search at his residence revealed a .38 caliber revolver as well as marijuana intended for distribution and over $2,000 in cash. At an associated stash location on Gilyard Drive in Waterbury used by Santos and others police recovered more than 5,500 baggies of fentanyl along with drug packaging materials.
Santos has been detained since June 14, 2022. On August 3rd last year he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute at least forty grams of fentanyl along with other controlled substances as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The investigation involved the Waterbury Police Department working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
