New London Man Charged In 2 Heroin Overdoses: Court Officials

NEW LONDON, CT - Court officials said a New London man charged in connection with two heroin overdoses has been sentenced to more than five years in prison. Nestor Santana, 30, of New London will serve 62 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.

Court officials said Santana has been charged in two separate overdose deaths that occurred last year, according to a release.

The first incident occurred in the early morning hours of May 29, 2016, when members of the Groton Police Department and emergency services personnel responded to a Groton motel room on the report of a suspected drug overdose.

See also: Man Charged In Connection With Teen's Death At Groton Motel

The victim, a 17-year-old female, was administered two doses of Narcan (Naloxone), which were deemed unsuccessful, before she was transported to the hospital and died later that morning.

The investigation revealed the suspect has supplied heroin to Ramon Gomez, who had brought the victim to the motel to engage in prostitution. Gomez had sold heroin to a woman who distributed it to the victim, court officials said.

The second incident occurred on May 31, 2016, when members of the Montville Police Department responded to an apartment on Route 32 for an “untimely death” investigation. Upon arrival, officers found a deceased 34-year-old female lying face down on the bathroom floor.

The Connecticut’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined the victim's death to be “acute ethanol and fentanyl intoxication.”

The investigation revealed that the victim was supplied with heroin/fentanyl by a man who had been supplied with the drugs by Gomez, who in turn was supplied by Santana.

In August and September 2016, investigators made controlled purchases of heroin from Santana, who was subsequently arrested on state charges on Sept. 29, 2016.

Additional quantities of heroin and items used to process and package narcotics were also found during a search of the suspect's home. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Jan. 31.

On Sept. 20, the suspect pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin among other charges.

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