Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, have announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has indicted Roman Santiago Jr., 41, of Danbury, on cocaine trafficking charges.
Court documents indicate that Santiago is accused of taking part in a narcotics trafficking scheme involving the mailing of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, spanning from September 2024 to February 2025. Investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted several packages totaling over 11 kilograms of cocaine, each weighing around two kilograms and intended for Santiago.
Santiago faces charges of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, as well as possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Each charge could result in a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment.
He was arrested on February 12, 2025, following a federal criminal complaint and is currently released on a $50,000 bond.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman emphasised, "an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, and local police departments including Plainville and Danbury. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Guevremont and Christopher Lembo.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a national effort using the Department of Justice's full resources to combat illegal immigration, dismantle criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. The initiative draws from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.