West Hartford man sentenced to more than a decade in prison for drug trafficking

A West Hartford man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for drug trafficking, officials said.
Joseph Giovanni Soto, 34, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill in Bridgeport to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
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 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, officials said. The investigation also found drop addresses in Holyoke and West Springfield, Mass., officials said.
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. Officials say that 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 packages, each of which contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and identified approximately 280 suspicious packages likely containing kilogram quantities of cocaine that had been delivered to the various drop addresses, according to officials.
Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023 after investigators conducted a search of his residence and seized two loaded firearms, a drum magazine, ammunition, body armor, approximately two kilograms of cocaine, drug packaging material, and approximately $12,000 in cash. One of the seized firearms was fitted with a switch making it fully automatic, and investigators also found a second, uninstalled switch.
A search of Ramon Soto's residence revealed a loaded Ruger handgun, firearm magazines, ammunition, two money counters, a digital scale with cocaine residue, and more than $1,000 in cash, officials said.
On Feb. 7, Joseph Soto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He was released on a $100,000 bond, and is required to report to prison on June 25. Ramon Soto pleaded guilty to a related charge and on Jan. 8, 2025, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, and the Hartford, Plainville, and Meriden Police Departments.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com

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