Massachusetts leader of ‘large-scale' drug trafficking ring pleads guilty in New Hampshire
The Massachusetts leader of a 'large-scale' drug trafficking ring has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack said Wednesday.
Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, of Boston, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, cocaine and fentanyl, McCormack said in a statement.
U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for May 29.
On April 26, 2023, Soto Baez was charged along with 20 other defendants. To date, 10 defendants have been convicted.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Soto Baez was the leader of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, particularly Manchester, between September 2019 and April 2023.
The organization was 'run like a business,' operating 'dispatch' telephone lines where customers could call in to order drugs, prosecutors said.
Soto Baez or another person working for him would take customer orders on the phone, and then he would either deliver the order himself or send a runner to conduct the drug sale at an arranged meeting location, prosecutors said.
Between September 2019 and April 2023, law enforcement agents saw and recorded Soto Baez and his associates selling fentanyl and cocaine on 19 occasions, prosecutors said.
On the day of Soto Baez's arrest, investigators searched a home associated with the drug ring and found $15,000 and drug ledgers, prosecutors said.
A search of a vehicle used by the drug trafficking ring yielded roughly 94 grams of fentanyl and 196 grams of cocaine packaged in small baggies for distribution.
Soto Baez faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1 million.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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