Man Charged in Maine Drug Bust Also Wanted In Connecticut For Attempted Murder

A man arrested in Washington County has been sought by police in Maine and Connecticut for multiple charges, including drug charges and attempted murder.

Rafael Santiago-Salazar, who's also known as "Chico," was first arrested in Whitneyville, Maine on Valentine's Day, as part of a heroin and crack cocaine trafficking investigation. The investigation included the undercover purchase of both drugs from members of a group comprised of Santiago-Salazar and others. He became a fugitive after failing to show for his arraignment and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Santiago-Salazar is a resident of Waterbury, Connecticut.

When drug agents learned that 19-year-old Santiago-Salazar had returned to Washington County recently, they obtained a search warrant for 63 Center Street in Machias, the residence where the suspect was believed to be staying. Before executing the warrant, MDEA officials learned that there was also a felony arrest warrant from the Connecticut State Police for Santiago-Salazar for a number of offenses, including attempted murder, felony assault, carrying a pistol without a permit, and unlawful restraint. Because of the seriousness of the charges, drug agents called in the Maine State Police Tactical Team to serve the search warrant.

When they arrived, several occupants were cooperative with police and exited out the front of the house, but one individual ran out the back. He was caught by members of the Tactical Team and identified as Santiago-Salazar. He was taken to the Washington County Jail, while two other residents with outstanding warrants were also taken into custody. 27-year-old Ted MacArthur of Machias and 34-year-old Jonathan Johnson of Addison both had active warrants out of a Machias court.

Anyone with information about this investigation or the illegal sale of drugs in this state is urged to contact their nearest MDEA office or by calling the MDEA tip-line at 800-452-6457.