WATERBURY — Vermont authorities arrested a Massachusetts man on Thursday afternoon following a lengthy investigation into illegal drug distribution in Washington County.
Rafael Santos, 37, from Springfield, was taken into custody by the Vermont Drug Task Force in collaboration with the Vermont State Police Berlin Barracks at 1159 Ripley Road.
The arrest at 3:30 p.m. was the culmination of a weeks-long investigation into Santos’s alleged involvement in the trafficking and sale of cocaine and fentanyl.
The operation leading to Santos’s arrest involved several controlled purchases of cocaine base and fentanyl.
During the execution of a search warrant at the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers discovered substantial amounts of cocaine, cocaine base, fentanyl, and other regulated substances.
Santos is facing two counts each of fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, as well as one count each of fentanyl and cocaine sale.
He was jailed at the Northwestern Correctional Center in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Santos is scheduled for arraignment at the Washington County Superior Court, Criminal Division, on July 26 at 12:30 p.m.
No further details regarding the investigation were immediately available.
