Holyoke Man Sentenced for Selling Cocaine

BOSTON – A Holyoke man was sentenced on Friday, July 17, in federal court in Springfield for drug possession and distribution charges. 

Roberto Santiago, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Santiago sold cocaine on Sept. 30, 2019 in Holyoke. The arrest was the result of a multi-agency investigation into heroin trafficking in Holyoke dubbed “Operation Open Air.” 

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.