David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROMAN SANTIAGO JR., 43, formerly of Danbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford 120 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico using the U.S. Mail. Judge Nagala also ordered Santiago to pay a $15,000 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from September 2024 to February 2025, Santiago engaged in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy that involved the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut through the U.S. Mail. During the investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted multiple packages that were mailed from Puerto Rico to various addresses in Connecticut. Each package was intended for Santiago and contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
Santiago was arrested on February 12, 2025. At time of his arrest, a search of his Danbury residence and a storage unit he rented revealed a package of cocaine that had been mailed from Puerto Rico, additional quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, $276,298 in cash, and other items.
In total, investigators seized more than 11 kilograms of cocaine during the investigation.
On April 21, 2026, Santiago pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Judge Nagala ordered Santiago to forfeit the seized cash, and several pieces of jewelry with an total approximate value of $264,000, and his 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck.
Santiago, who is released on a $50,000 bond and residing in New Britain, is required to report to prison on November 16.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, and the Danbury Police Department. The Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Plainville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Guevremont and Christopher Lembo.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.