Rochester Man Senteced On Drug And Gun Charges

CONTACT: Barbara Burns    
PHONE:      (716) 843-5817
FAX:         (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Juan Dejesus Santiago, 33, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of drug conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer M. Noto and Thomas S. Duszkiewicz, who handled the case, stated that Santiago participated in a large, violent narcotics trafficking organization. The defendant also participated in the contract killing of Quincy Turner in May 2008 in Jamestown, NY.

The drug trafficking organization that Santiago was a member of was responsible for the receipt and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in the Rochester area between January 2007 and October 2008. The defendant was one of 33 related defendants charged with federal crimes involving their participation in this armed drug conspiracy that sent and received packages of cocaine via the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to Rochester. Proceeds from the drug sales were sent back to Puerto Rico to purchase more cocaine. To date, all 33 defendants have been convicted and only two remain to be sentenced.  

Santiago was also involved in the murder of Quincy Turner, a man suspected of being an informant for the government in a narcotics investigation. Quincy Turner was shot and killed on May 30, 2008. The defendant provided one of the firearms used to carry out the contract killing, a .45 caliber pistol, as well as the vehicle utilized to drive the shooters to Turner’s residence. Santiago received a portion of the proceeds provided in consideration for the murder. Law enforcement officers recovered the .45 caliber pistol, along with 500 grams of cocaine during a search of the defendant’s residence on October 9, 2008.

The sentencing is the culmination of investigations into the drug trafficking organization and murder as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HITA) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiatives. Investigative agencies involved include the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearm and Explosives, under the direction of Delano A. Reid, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shelly Binkowski, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Lieutenant David Bentley, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Joseph Gerace.