Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Managing Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

CONCORD –A Boston man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking operation that was distributing fentanyl and cocaine in the Manchester-area, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

Flemin Soto Baez, age 50, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2025.  The defendant was originally charged with conspiracy on April 26, 2023, along with 20 other defendants, in the matter United States v. Juan Ramon Soto Baez, et al.  He is the 15th defendant in the conspiracy to plead guilty.

According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant 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 2019 and April 2023.  The organization was run like a business, operating “dispatch” telephone lines where customers could call in to order drugs. The defendant operated the dispatch line and coordinated purchases. He sent runners to meet customers to conduct hand-to-hand exchanges of drugs for money, usually in the runner’s vehicle.  On 14 separate occasions between July 14, 2022 and March 2, 2023, the defendant sent a runner to deliver crack cocaine to drug customers in Manchester.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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