East Orange Man Sentenced To Prison On Fentanyl, Cocaine Distribution & Possession Of 6 Firearm

Friday, September 6, 2024, 2:30 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News

NEWARK, NJ.- U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger reported on Thursday, September 5, 2024, that Carlos Santago, 50, of East Orange, New Jersey, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and was sentenced to 143 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute over five kilograms and four kilograms of cocaine and possessing six firearms as a convicted felon.

     Santiago had previously appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz and pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl; Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine; and Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. 

     In addition to the 143 months in federal prison, Judge Farbiarz ordered that Santiago be subject to five years of supervised release upon release.

According To Court Filings

     According to documents unsealed in an indictment and filed with the court, on October 24, 2022, federal agents observed and encountered Santiago as he was loading controlled dangerous substances from a storage unit into his vehicle.

     Santiago was taken into custody after federal agents found several kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, as well as a firearm, in Santiago’s storage unit. A subsequent court-authorized search of Santiago’s East Orange residence uncovered additional kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine and five other firearms.

Prior Convictions

     Santiago had previously been convicted in Essex County Superior Court of a narcotics offense and resisting arrest.

     U.S. Attorney Sellinger commended special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their investigative efforts in the investigation and for yesterday’s sentence.