United States Attorney David C. Weiss announced on Tuesday that Jose Santana-Gonzalez, 36, of Chester, Pennsylvania was sentenced on June 17 to 87 months in federal prison. Santana-Gonzalez previously pled guilty to distributing heroin containing fentanyl and agreed that his drugs caused the death of a 50-year-old man from New Castle County, Delaware.
According to court documents, Santana-Gonzalez distributed heroin containing fentanyl on August 28, 2018. The victim overdosed and died after ingesting that heroin. When Santana-Gonzalez was arrested in his Chester apartment in December 2018, law enforcement found 150 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, enough for thousands of retail doses to street-level addicts. At sentencing, United States District Judge Richard G. Andrews granted a motion by the United States to enhance Santana-Gonzalez’s sentence, ultimately imposing over seven years of federal prison time.
U.S. Attorney Weiss commented, “The significant sentence Mr. Santana-Gonzalez received reflects the dangers associated with distributing heroin laced with fentanyl — which is tantamount to putting poison on the streets of our community. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute those whose deadly drug sales are responsible for overdose deaths.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the New Castle County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Ibrahim and Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe prosecuted the case.
Source: USDOJ