by Timothy Page
Eddy Santiago, Jr., a 30-year-old from Clifton, NJ, was sentenced by US District Judge Christina Reiss, on March 29, to 49 months in prison for using threats and violence to collect a drug debt. The case was handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.
Santiago’s arrest came after he set fire to a vehicle at a residence in Vergennes, Vermont. Witnesses reported that he had threatened to start the fire unless the residents paid a debt he believed they owed him for cocaine. Surveillance footage showed Santiago carrying a gas can and igniting the car in the early morning hours of January 5, 2022. A partially filled gas can was found in the trunk of his vehicle when he was apprehended.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, DEA, Vermont State Police, Vergennes Police Department, and Middlebury Police Department. The agencies worked together to tackle drug crimes and address the arson incident.