Man sentenced in Spa City drug ring
BALLSTON SPA — A Mechanicville man is headed to prison for six years for selling cocaine in Saratoga Springs.
Robert Allen, 44, was one of a dozen people arrested by Saratoga Springs police last year as part of a cocaine ring. Prosecutors deemed Allen to be a major distributor.
“Allen basically ran his operation like a business. As a former mortgage broker, he was very adept at making contacts and closing deals,” Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said.
Allen pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to criminal sale of cocaine and conspiracy, felonies.
Most of the others arrested pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug charges. Jose A. Cruz, 39, of Saratoga Springs pleaded guilty to felony attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance and was sentenced to three years in prison. Another, Thomas R. Kopach, 53, of Ballston Spa also pleaded guilty to felony attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 7.
“He had plenty of friends in and around Saratoga Springs, where he would meet them at various locations and provide them with a small amount of product, usually powder cocaine, for a couple hundred dollars. What he did not realize was that he was being watched and the police were videotaping the buys as they took place based on tips and other investigative techniques,” Murphy said.
Judge Jerry J. Scarano sentenced him to four years in prison for each victim, to be served consecutively, as well as 10 years of post- release supervision. Santiago will be required to register as a sex offender.
The two victims are now teenagers. They were subjected to sexual contact by Santiago between 2001 and 2008, when they were between the ages of 6 and 12. The victims knew Santiago, but their specific relationship with him was not made public.
According to Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III, the girls were victimized separately, so neither realized the other was also a victim. Santiago told the victims they would get in trouble if they told their parents.
“I have to work hard every day to find happiness in the things other young people have taken for granted because of what you (Santiago) have done to me,” one girl said in court. “It has taken my whole youth to gain confidence in myself and the people who have loved me all along.”
Murphy praised the victims for coming forward and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley for her prosecution of the case.
“These two young girls have unfortunately had to be part of the criminal justice system, but, thankfully, they have seen that there can be justice in the end,” he said. “They now can begin what I’m sure will be a long healing process and A. D. A. Buckley has gotten them ready to take their first step forward.”