Manchester Man Sentenced to a Decade in Federal Prison for Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking

CONCORD - A Manchester resident was sentenced today in federal court for distributing over 3.7 kilograms of fentanyl and possessing with intent to distribute 1.2 kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Xavier Santana, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro to 120 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. On May 20, 2026, Santana pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing at least 400 grams of fentanyl, three counts of distributing at least 50 grams of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine.

"Working with our law enforcement partners, we took a large-volume fentanyl dealer off the streets," said U.S. Attorney Creegan. "Fentanyl has devastated communities across the country, and this sentence reflects the severity of the defendant's crimes. The U.S. Attorney's Office will continue to hold drug traffickers accountable."

"Removing a large-scale fentanyl trafficker like Xavier Santana from our streets-and sending him to prison for the next decade-is a decisive victory for the people of New Hampshire," said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division. "If you think you can profit from poisoning our communities, think again. The FBI and our partners will track you down, shut you down, and put you behind bars. We will not tolerate the criminals driving the opioid crisis. Our mission is to protect our families, and we will not back down."

According to public records and statements made in court, in late 2024, law enforcement learned that the defendant was selling drugs. The FBI conducted a series of controlled buys of drugs from Santana, first with a confidential source. The source purchased about 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl from Santana. The FBI then had an undercover officer participate in additional controlled buys of fentanyl from Santana totaling over 2.5 kilograms. Sometimes law enforcement was able to purchase a half-kilogram of fentanyl at a time. In July 2025, law enforcement searched the defendant's residence and found over 1.2 kilograms of cocaine in Santana's bedroom.

The FBI's Major Offender Task Force led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander S. Chen and Cesar A. Vega prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire.