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High-Ranking MS-13 Member Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison
Jaime Santana, a/k/a “Smiley,” a high-ranking member of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced to 110 months in prison for racketeering and narcotics offenses in the Southern District of New York.
Santana, 41, of Galatin, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick to five years of supervised release in addition to his prison term.
According to the indictment, Santana was a member of the “L.A. Program” of MS-13, which operates throughout North and Central America. He was involved in planning the establishment of a methamphetamine distribution network that started in Mexico and operated throughout the United States.
Santana also conspired to extort another gang member, who was told that he either had to repay money or be “green lit” (i.e., killed) for introducing a “bad connection” who supplied poor quality narcotics to the gang.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss praised the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department, which led to Santana’s arrest and conviction. “Jaime Santana, a leader of the L.A. Program of MS-13, trafficked in weapons and cocaine and helped plan a cross-border methamphetamine distribution network,” Strauss said.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Longyear, Justin V. Rodriguez, and Jacob Warren are in charge of the prosecution.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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