Source: Office of United States Attorneys
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELVIN SANTOS, 26, of Waterbury, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office adopted three separate state cases involving Santos for federal prosecution.
On March 21, 2021, Waterbury Police observed Santos and others conducting what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug transactions from a car Santos was driving. Law enforcement apprehended Santos and two others, and a search of the car revealed three loaded handguns, additional ammunition, a digital scale, and distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine.
In June 2021, Waterbury Police obtained a state search warrant based on continued narcotics trafficking by Santos. On July 8, 2021, officers arrived as Santos’s residence to execute the search warrant and stopped Santos as he exited his vehicle. A search of a satchel Santos was carrying revealed approximately 50 grams of crack, 280 baggies of fentanyl, more than 120 narcotic pills, a digital scale, a .40 caliber bullet, and other items. A search of Santos’s car revealed quantities and marijuana, a digital scale, drug packaging material, and other items. A search of his residence revealed more than a kilogram of marijuana, 250 baggies of fentanyl, drug packaging material, gun magazines, empty firearms boxes, and more than $10,000 in cash.
In May 2022, Waterbury Police obtained a state search warrant for Santos based on continued narcotics trafficking. Santos was arrested on June 14, 2022. On that date, a search of a satchel Santos carried revealed more than 900 baggies of fentanyl; quantities of cocaine, crack, and marijuana, and a digital scale. The search of Santos’s residence revealed a .38 caliber revolver, a distribution quantity of marijuana, and more than $2,000 in cash. A related search of stash location Santos and others used on Gilyard Drive in Waterbury revealed more than 5,500 baggies of fentanyl and drug packaging materials.
Santos has been detained since June 14, 2022. On August 3, 2023, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This matter was investigated by the Waterbury Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.