BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with his participation in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Angel Milciades Santana Polanco, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In November 2018, Santana Polanco pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute more than 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to court records, as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, law enforcement agents intercepted phones used by Wareng Jhonny Villar-Ortiz and another member of the conspiracy, both of whom are also Dominican nationals. Agents determined that Villar-Ortiz was a mid-level drug distributor, who had received a kilogram of fentanyl in late January 2018. The intercepted calls further established that Villar-Ortiz arranged for Santana Polanco, who was typically a distributor for Villar-Ortiz, to test the drugs. Santana Polanco found three individuals, gave the drugs to them, and then reported back to Villar-Ortiz how the individuals responded to the drugs.

Between Feb. 8 and Feb. 12, 2018, agents intercepted communications between Santana Polanco and Villar-Ortiz in which Santana Polanco offered to supply Villar-Ortiz with a kilogram of drugs. Villar-Ortiz took possession of the drugs in order to test the quality before deciding whether to purchase them. On Feb. 15, 2018, Villar-Ortiz reported that the drugs were unacceptable and made arrangements for Santana Polanco to retrieve them. A search of Villar-Ortiz’s residence resulted in the seizure of 978.6 grams of fentanyl from a hiding spot in the bathroom wall.

Court records indicate that Santana Polanco entered the United States illegally. After serving his sentence, he will be subject to deportation proceedings. Villar-Ortiz pleaded guilty on Jan. 11, 2019, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2019.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Ipswich, and Arlington Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.