Man guilty of trafficking heroin and cocaine from Springfield, Vermont

Credit: Springfield Police Department

BENNINGTON, VT (WWLP) – A Springfield man was sentenced to prison in Vermont after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and illegally purchasing a gun.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Vermont, a 21-year-old Keniel Santiago of Springfield was sentenced to 5 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine in Vermont between September 2020 and March 2021. He also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements in the acquisition of a weapon on fire in Vermont.

Santiago worked with a group of people to bring heroin and crack cocaine from Springfield to Bennington, Vermont, where it would be sold illegally. Santiago also asked a co-conspirator to purchase a handgun for him from a dealer in Vermont in January 2021. The co-conspirator lied to the gun dealer that it was for him and that Santiago would get her back. Santiago paid for the gun with cash and drugs.

Santiago was also arrested in Springfield in December 2021 for allegedly pointing a gun out of a car window and shooting in the direction of a Springfield officer. The officer returned fire and hit the vehicle. At the time of his arrest for this incident, he was also facing open firearms and drug charges in Holyoke.