A Boston man has admitted to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott has set the sentencing for May 29, 2025.
Soto Baez was charged on April 26, 2023, along with 20 other defendants. So far, ten individuals involved in the conspiracy have been convicted.
Court documents reveal that Soto Baez led a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire from September 2019 to April 2023. The operation included "dispatch" telephone lines for customers to order narcotics. Orders were either delivered by Soto Baez or a runner sent by him.
During the investigation period, law enforcement documented nineteen instances of fentanyl and cocaine sales involving Soto Baez and his associates. On the day of his arrest, authorities seized $15,000 and drug ledgers from a related residence and found approximately 94 grams of fentanyl and 196 grams of cocaine packaged for distribution in a vehicle used by the organization.
The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1 million. Sentencing will be determined based on federal guidelines.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with support from the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is handling the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a collaborative approach involving multiple agencies.