Milton Man Faces Decades for Coke & Fentanyl Trafficking

BOSTON – Brandy Soto-Lara, 25, of Milton, Massachusetts, is facing serious time after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of possessing cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute. The bust, stemming from a 2018 search, reveals a substantial operation that also involved an illegal firearm.

Soto-Lara was initially arrested on January 11, 2023, and has been cooling his heels in custody ever since. The indictment alleges that a search of his apartment back in November 2018 turned up a staggering haul: over 400 grams of cocaine and more than 40 grams of fentanyl. That’s enough poison to put a serious dent in the streets, and enough coke to keep a lot of people wired.

But the drugs weren’t the only contraband found. Law enforcement also seized $6,000 in cash, a loaded firearm with the serial number deliberately scratched off – a clear sign of intent to conceal – along with firearm parts and ammunition. The feds aren’t messing around with ghost guns and drug dealing, and rightfully so.

If convicted, Soto-Lara is looking at a mandatory minimum of five years behind bars, potentially escalating to a maximum of 40 years. On top of that, he could face at least four years, and potentially a lifetime, of supervised release. And let’s not forget a hefty fine of up to $5 million. The sentence will ultimately be determined by a federal district court judge, factoring in U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The announcement of the indictment came from United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, alongside James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office also lent a hand. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and Lucy Sun are spearheading the prosecution within Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit.

This case isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at tackling violent crime and gun violence by bringing together law enforcement at all levels and the communities they serve. It’s also an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, a multi-agency effort designed to dismantle major criminal organizations. Details on OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. It’s important to remember that the allegations in the charging documents are just that – allegations. Soto-Lara is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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