July 8, 2009

OSCAR SANTOS SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS -- FINAL DEFENDANT IN ST. JOHNSBURY COCAINE CONSPIRACY CASE

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of
Vermont announced that Oscar Santos, 37, of New York City, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Brattleboro to 120 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge that he conspired to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha also ordered that Santos serve a five-year term of supervised release when his prison sentence expires. Santos has been incarcerated since his arrest in Puerto Rico last September.

According to court records, on June 24, 2008, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a two-count indictment alleging that Santos conspired with Wilfredo Guzman, Amy Nitchke, Justin Conley and others, between 2003 and April 2006, to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. He was also charged with possessing more than 500 grams of cocaine seized by the Massachusetts State Police in March 2006. Guzman was the head of the conspiracy, which operated in the St. Johnsbury area. He obtained much of the cocaine from Santos, who is his cousin, in New York City. Santos also delivered cocaine to couriers from Vermont who met him at the train station in New Haven, Connecticut.
Eleven defendants have already pled guilty and been sentenced in this case. Guzman and Conley are serving ten-year terms of imprisonment and the other defendants received lesser sentences.

This case was investigated by detectives with the Northeast Vermont State Drug Task Force.

Santos is represented by Brad Stetler. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.