BURLINGTON, Vt. — A Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges after an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was sentenced to probation in Vermont after successfully complying with pretrial conditions and preparing for a career in barbering.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced on May 13 that Christian Torres-Santiago, 21, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III to two years of probation. Torres-Santiago previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base.
According to court records, in October 2022, Torres-Santiago was present at a residence in Bennington when HSI and Bennington Police executed a search warrant. Among other contraband and other items found in the residence, special agents found over 2,000 bags of fentanyl/heroin packaged for sale, approximately 25 grams of cocaine base, $4,400 in cash, and a Colt .45-caliber handgun, fully loaded with its serial number obliterated in Torres-Santiago’s possession.
At sentencing, Sessions emphasized the gravely serious nature of Torres-Santiago’s conduct and the danger it posed to the Bennington community. He also emphasized Torres-Santiago’s age and lack of any prior criminal history, and noted that since his arrest and release in the fall of 2022, Torres-Santiago has complied with all pretrial supervision conditions and studied for — and nearly completed — the requirements to obtain a barbering license in Connecticut. As Sessions said, he had “earned his freedom” by leaving the business of drug trafficking entirely and working hard to alter the direction of his life. The sentence of probation will require Torres-Santiago not to stray from this path, or, if he does, to face a resentencing on the full scope of his conduct.
This investigation was led by HSI New England’s Burlington Resident Agent in Charge office and the Bennington Police Department.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.