Jatniel Morales Gonzalez, 28, of Ponce, Puerto Rico, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release for his role in a cocaine trafficking operation. The sentencing was announced by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the sentence in Bridgeport.
According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, an investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force identified Joseph Giovanni Soto as the leader of a network that shipped kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to addresses in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Parcels were sent through U.S. Post Offices to “drop addresses” in New Britain and Meriden, Connecticut, as well as Holyoke and West Springfield, Massachusetts.
The organization used individuals referred to as “runners” who collected these parcels from drop locations and delivered them to residences associated with Soto or his uncle Ramon Soto. At Joseph Soto’s direction, Ramon Soto then distributed the cocaine further to recipients in the Bronx, New York.
During their investigation, authorities intercepted 10 suspicious parcels containing about two kilograms of cocaine each and identified around 280 additional suspicious parcels believed to contain similar amounts that had already been delivered.
Joseph Giovanni Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. After his arrest, investigators observed a new wave of suspicious packages arriving from Puerto Rico at addresses linked to Morales Gonzalez in Waterbury, Connecticut. Authorities determined that Morales Gonzalez had previously worked with Soto and took over operations after Soto’s arrest.
Investigators discovered several new drop addresses for these packages and saw Morales Gonzalez retrieving them before they were ultimately transported to the Bronx. During this phase of the investigation, law enforcement identified 98 more suspicious parcels; four were seized and searched—each containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
A court-authorized search on June 26, 2024 at Morales Gonzalez’s residence uncovered about two kilograms of cocaine along with a loaded handgun—a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield—and two drug ledgers.
Morales Gonzalez pleaded guilty on September 2, 2025 to conspiracy charges involving possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He is currently released on $100,000 bond but must report to prison on January 21.
Other members involved include Joseph Giovanni Soto—who also pleaded guilty and received a sentence of fourteen years imprisonment on May 9—and Ramon Soto who was sentenced earlier this year to ten years following his own guilty plea.
Brian Martinez Rivera (29) from Torrington and Luis Torres Ortiz (24) from New Britain have also admitted guilt regarding their roles in this conspiracy; both await sentencing.
The case has been investigated by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force—which includes personnel from several police departments—and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman.
