SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on March 28, 2017, United States District Court Judge Robert Mariani sentenced Louis Angel Soto, age 27, of Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, to 87 months’ imprisonment for possessing with intent to distribute heroin, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brander, Soto was arrested with heroin, marijuana, and a loaded.40 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol after a search warrant was executed at his home by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Soto was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 10, 2015, and pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on March 18, 2016. He has been in custody since his arrest.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, working in conjunction with the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP"), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes with firearms.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
