Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

            CONCORD - Victor Soto, 38, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of over 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 30, 2018, Manchester police officers acquired reliable information that the defendant would deliver 300 to 400 grams of fentanyl to Manchester later that day. The Manchester police officers shared this information with the New Hampshire State Police. On the evening of May 30, 2018, the New Hampshire State Police located defendant’s black Acura SUV driving north on I-93.  The defendant was driving alone.  The police followed the defendant to route 293 and then on to South Willow St. in Manchester, where they stopped him. During a subsequent consent search of his vehicle, the officers located approximately 394 grams of fentanyl in the trunk.   

           Soto is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 2019.

            “Fentanyl continues to cause tremendous damage to communities throughout New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to protect the lives and safety of the public, we will investigate, arrest and prosecute those who choose to distribute this deadly drug in the Granite State.  I commend the law enforcement officers whose work prevented this substantial amount of fentanyl from being sold on the streets of Manchester.”

            “We’re very pleased that our close coordination with local and state partners in New Hampshire allowed for the successful prosecution of this case,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent In Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI will continue to prioritize investigations to combat this deadly opioid and fentanyl epidemic.”

               This matter was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, New Hampshire State Police, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Davis.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.  

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