Joseph Giovanni Soto, a 34-year-old resident of West Hartford, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his involvement in 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 case was brought to light through an investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force. According to court documents and statements, the operation involved shipping parcels containing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to various addresses in Connecticut and Massachusetts. These parcels were picked up by "runners" and delivered to Soto's residence in Bloomfield and his uncle Ramon Soto's home in New Britain.
Investigators intercepted 10 suspicious parcels, each containing about two kilograms of cocaine, and identified approximately 280 other parcels likely containing similar quantities that had been delivered.
Joseph Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. A search of his residence uncovered firearms, ammunition, body armor, drug packaging materials, about two kilograms of cocaine, and $12,000 in cash. One firearm was modified to be fully automatic.
Soto pleaded guilty on February 7, 2025, to conspiracy charges related to distributing five kilograms or more of cocaine. He is set to report for incarceration on June 25 after being released on a $100,000 bond.
Ramon Soto also pleaded guilty to a related charge and received a ten-year prison sentence on January 8, 2025.
The investigation involved collaboration between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and several police departments from Hartford, Plainville, and Meriden. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman are prosecuting the case.