A Boston resident has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation that distributed fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire. The sentencing took place in federal court in Concord, where U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott handed down a 50-month sentence to Flemin Soto Baez, 48.
Soto Baez pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, specifically cocaine and fentanyl. He was among 21 individuals charged in April 2023 as part of the investigation. So far, 15 people involved have been convicted, including Soto Baez’s brother, Juan Ramon Soto Baez, who led the organization and received a sentence of over eight years.
“This defendant perpetuated a drug trafficking operation that pushes deadly narcotics,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. “They profited from addiction and suffering. Today’s sentence demonstrates that every member of these organizations will be held accountable for the damage they inflict on New Hampshire families.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who choose to flood our communities with fentanyl and cocaine will be held accountable,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the New England Field Division. “Flemin Soto Baez played a significant role in a large-scale trafficking conspiracy that put countless lives at risk. The DEA and our law enforcement partners remain committed to dismantling these criminal networks and protecting our communities from the devastating impact of dangerous drugs.”
“Fentanyl and cocaine have no place in New Hampshire and neither do the drug traffickers who sell it,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Today’s sentence keeps Flemin Soto Baez behind bars for the key role he played in this multi-state drug trafficking operation. Every sale he orchestrated was a potentially deadly transaction, and the FBI and our partners won’t stop until all drug trafficking operations like this one have been disrupted.”
Court documents show that between July 2022 and March 2023, Soto Baez served as an organizer within a Massachusetts-based group distributing large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine throughout New Hampshire, especially Manchester. The organization operated using telephone lines for customers to order narcotics; Soto Baez would receive orders by phone before dispatching runners to deliver drugs at prearranged locations.
When authorities arrested Soto Baez in June 2023, they searched an apartment linked to him and found over one kilogram of cocaine.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with support from the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar A. Vega prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative focused on combating illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime through coordinated efforts by agencies such as OCDETFs (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
