Press Release  Three Defendants Plead Guilty, Sentenced to State Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

Boston — Three Haverhill individuals have pleaded guilty and been sentenced by an Essex County Superior Court judge to state prison in connection with allegedly trafficking fentanyl, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

“We are tackling the opioid crisis in our state from all angles, including going after drug traffickers,” said AG Healey. “As a result of this investigation, which involved collaboration across local, state, and federal law enforcement, these defendants will serve prison time for peddling this dangerous drug on our streets.” 

The individuals were arrested and charged in March 2018 as the result of an investigation involving AG Healey’s Enterprise, Major and Cyber Crime Division, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Haverhill Police Department. Authorities seized half a kilogram of fentanyl during the course of the investigation through controlled buys and execution of search warrants.

The following defendants entered guilty pleas this week on the charges below and were sentenced by Superior Court Judge Salim Tabit:

Arismendy J. Santana, 29, of Haverhill
Trafficking Fentanyl, 10 Grams or More (five counts)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (one count)
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, (one count)
Resisting Arrest (one count)
Sentenced to state prison for four to five years, with two years’ probation

Wilman Diaz, 27, of Haverhill
Trafficking Fentanyl, 10 Grams or More (six counts)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (one count)
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition (one count)
Sentenced to state prison for four to five years, with two years’ probation

Milagro Santana, 28, of Haverhill
Trafficking Fentanyl, 10 Grams or More (one count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (one count)
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition (one count)

Sentenced to state prison for two to three years, with two years’ probation

AG Healey’s Office has prioritized combatting the opioid crisis and has been working closely with federal, state and local partners to fight illegal drug trafficking throughout New England. The Fentanyl Strike Force was created in 2016 using a $1 million COPS grant and has since been strengthened with a nearly $3 million COPS grant in 2018 and a $2.6 million COPS grant in 2019, which have expanded ongoing multistate and cross-jurisdictional investigations.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Cesar Vega of AG Healey’s Enterprise and Major Crimes Division.

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