A Torrington man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring that shipped kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut and Massachusetts.
BRIAN MARTINEZ RIVERA, 29, of Torrington, was sentenced on August 21, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents and statements made in court, 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 cocaine trafficking operation that involved the shipment of parcels containing kilogram quantities of cocaine from U.S. Post Offices in Puerto Rico to various “drop addresses” in New Britain and Meriden, Connecticut, as well as addresses in Holyoke and West Springfield, Massachusetts.
The organization used “runners” to pick up the parcels from the drop addresses and deliver them to Soto’s residence in Bloomfield and the residence of Soto’s uncle, Ramon Soto, in New Britain. Typically, Ramon Soto, at Joseph Soto’s direction, then delivered the cocaine to individuals in the Bronx, New York, and elsewhere, in return for payment.
During the investigation, task force members intercepted and seized 10 suspicious parcels, each of which contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and identified approximately 280 suspicious parcels likely containing kilogram quantities of cocaine that had been delivered to the various drop addresses.
Martinez Rivera was arrested on December 19, 2024 and has been detained since October 2, 2025, when his bond was revoked. He pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Joseph Giovanni Soto, Ramon Soto, and Jatniel Morales Gonzalez, who also played key roles in the operation, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison terms of 14 years, 10 years, and 10 years, respectively.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.
The exact charges against Martinez Rivera are conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Related Federal Cases
- ERICK SUAREZ, Cocaine Trafficking, Connecticut 2018 · Puerto Rico
- Miguel Freytes, Cocaine Trafficking, Connecticut 2020 · Puerto Rico
- Jason Walker, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base, Connecticut 2018 · Puerto Rico
- Jill Mulligan, Meth Trafficking, Connecticut 2024 · Puerto Rico
- Efrain Colon-Garcia, Cocaine Trafficking, Rhode Island 2020 · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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