New Haven Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Nelson Santini, 28, of New Haven was sentenced in U.S. District Court Wednesday to 60 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery. Santini must serve the first six months of his supervised release in home confinement.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement identified Santini as a heroin and fentanyl trafficker in the New Haven. On Aug. 13, 2021, members of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force made a controlled purchase of approximately 50 grams of fentanyl from Santini, Avery said.

Santini was arrested on state charges on Dec. 10, 2021 and on that date, a search of a car he had been driving revealed 93 individual-dose bags of heroin, more than 100 bags of cocaine, and a loaded 9mm handgun, the U.S. Attorney said.

Santini, detained since his federal arrest on April 6, 2022, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 40 grams or more fentanyl in December 2022, Avery said.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members from the FBI, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the New Haven, Milford, East Haven, West Haven, and Wallingford Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and Robert S. Ruff.