Joseph Giovanni Soto, a 34-year-old resident of West Hartford, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport and includes five years of supervised release following imprisonment.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, uncovered a cocaine trafficking operation involving shipments from Puerto Rico to various locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. These parcels were then delivered to Soto's residence in Bloomfield and his uncle Ramon Soto's home in New Britain. Ramon Soto would subsequently deliver the cocaine to individuals in the Bronx, New York, under Joseph Soto's direction.
Authorities intercepted ten suspicious parcels containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine each and identified around 280 additional parcels likely containing similar quantities of the drug.
Joseph Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. A search of his residence resulted in the seizure of two loaded firearms, ammunition, body armor, approximately two kilograms of cocaine, drug packaging materials, and $12,000 in cash. One firearm was modified to be fully automatic. A search at Ramon Soto’s residence revealed a loaded handgun and other items related to drug trafficking.
On February 7, 2025, Joseph Soto pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to distributing over five kilograms of cocaine. He is scheduled to report to prison on June 25 after being released on a $100,000 bond.
Ramon Soto also pleaded guilty to related charges and received a ten-year prison sentence on January 8, 2025.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local police departments from Hartford, Plainville, and Meriden. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman are prosecuting the case.
