Juan Ramon Soto Baez, Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking, New Hampshire 2023

A Boston man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, according to federal authorities.

Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, cocaine and fentanyl, in federal court in Concord.

The plea agreement and statements made in court revealed that Soto Baez was the leader of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, particularly Manchester, between September of 2019 and April of 2023.

The organization was run like a business, operating 'dispatch' telephone lines where customers could call in to order narcotics. Soto Baez or a trusted member of the conspiracy working for him would take customer orders on the phone, and then he would either deliver the order himself or send a runner to conduct the drug sale at an arranged meeting location.

During the timeframe of the conspiracy, law enforcement agents observed and recorded Soto Baez and his co-conspirators selling fentanyl and cocaine on nineteen occasions. On the day of Soto Baez's arrest, a search of a residence associated with the conspiracy yielded $15,000 and drug ledgers. A search of a vehicle used by the drug trafficking organization yielded roughly 94 grams of fentanyl and 196 grams of cocaine packaged in small baggies for distribution.

Soto Baez faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Soto Baez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025. To date, 10 defendants involved in the conspiracy have been convicted.

The case is part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and dismantle large-scale drug trafficking organizations in New Hampshire and beyond.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/leader-large-scale-drug-trafficking-organization-pleads-guilty-federal-court