A 34-year-old West Hartford man was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison as well as five years of supervised release.

By Ronni Newton

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday that Joseph Giovanni Soto, 34, of West Hartford, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport by Judge Stefan R. Underhill to 168 months in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking operation. Following his prison term, Soto will be subject to five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said in a news release.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force led the investigation into a cocaine trafficking operation that, according to court documents and statements made in court, “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, Connecticut, as well as addresses in Holyoke and West Springfield, Massachusetts.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “runners” were used to pick up the parcels from the drop addresses and deliver them to Soto as well as to his uncle, Ramon Soto, who lived in New Britain. The release stated that Ramon Soto would typically deliver the cocaine to individuals in various locations, including the Bronx, New York, in return for payment and at the direction of Joseph Soto.

During the investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, 10 “suspicious parcels” were intercepted and seized, and were each found to contain approximately two kilograms of cocaine. They also identified approximately 280 suspicious parcels delivered to the various drop addresses that were believed to likely contain kilogram quantities of cocaine.

Investigators obtained permission from the court to search Joseph Soto’s residence, and on May 1, 2023 seized two loaded firearms – one that had been fitted with a switch to make it fully-automatic – as well as another installed switch, a drum magazine, ammunition, body armor, approximately two kilograms of cocaine, drug packaging material, and approximately $12,000 in cash, officials said. Joseph Soto was arrested that day.

On the same date, Ramon Soto’s residence was searched and he was also arrested after authorities found and seized a loaded Ruger handgun, firearm magazines, ammunition, two money counters, a digital scale with cocaine residue, and more than $1,000 in cash.

Joseph Soto pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, 2025 to charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He has been free on $100,000 bond but is now required to report to prison on June 25 to begin serving his sentence.

Ramon Soto also pleaded guilty to related charges, officials said, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Jan. 8, 2025.

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