22 from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, charged in large drug trafficking ring

21 defendants have been indicted and an additional defendant has been charged in connection with an organized drug trafficking ring operating out of Manchester and Boston, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced.

Over the past day and a half, law enforcement arrested 12 of these defendants on conspiracy to distribute controlled substance charges. During these arrests, law enforcement seized approximately 1.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 150 grams of suspected cocaine case, 250 grams of suspected fentanyl, 100 bags of suspected controlled substances packaged for sale, $26,000 in cash, and four firearms. The defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court at various times this week.

The following defendants have been charged in federal court:

1. Juan Ramon Soto Baez aka “Ricky,” aka “Nicolas Lopez Rosado”, 53, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Soto Baez is in custody. He is scheduled for a detention hearing in federal court in Concord on June 8, 2023.

2. Osvaldo David Soto Jimenez aka “Tony”, 29, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Soto Jimenez is in custody.

3. Flemin Soto Baez aka “Carlos” aka “Joel Rodriguez”, 38, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Soto Baez is in custody.

4. Antonio Aguasvivas aka “Toni”, 27, of Providence, Rhode Island. Aguasvivas is in custody.

5. Melissa Rey Ramos aka “Ralphie”, 34, of Peabody, Massachusetts. Rey Ramos is in custody.

6. Angel Leonel Fuentes Pizarro, 42, of Boston, Massachusetts. Pizarro is in custody. He is scheduled for a detention hearing in federal court in Concord on June 9. 2023.

7. Alejandro Reyes Rosado, 29, of UNKNOWN.

8. Maria Camacho aka “Christina”, 43, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

9. Luis Maldonado aka “Tony”, 48, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Maldonado is in custody. He is scheduled for a detention hearing in federal court in Concord on June 8, 2023.

10. Yefris Cruz Andujar, 23, of Providence, Rhode Island.

11. Hidequell Gonzalez Viscaino, 22, of Waterbury, Connecticut.

12. Katie Girgus, 29, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Girgus is in custody.

13. Nickolas Starkey, 34, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Starkey is in custody.

14. Daniel Beldin, 33, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

15. Dari Rafael Baez Martinez aka “Chino”, 32, of Boston, Massachusetts. Baez Martinez is in custody.

16. Leander Jose Rivera Soto, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts.

17. Gabriel Hernandez, 30, of Boston, Massachusetts. Hernandez is in custody.

18. Jose Cordero Ortiz, 37, of Boston, Massachusetts.

19. Victor Arias Mejia, 38, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

20. Jhonattan Jimenez, 36, of Boston, Massachusetts.

21. Alesha Neault, 37, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

22. Brandon Rivera, 21, of Boston, Massachusetts. Rivera is in custody.

According to court records, this drug trafficking ring, led by Juan Ramon Soto Baez (also known by various aliases, including “Ricky”) and his associates, has allegedly been supplying the Manchester area with fentanyl and crack cocaine for at least the past 4 years. These individuals trafficked large quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. They utilized a business model indicative of a sophisticated drug trafficking operation, which included using dispatch telephone numbers that customers would call to order drugs. Drug runners would drive vehicles to meet customers at predetermined locations to sell them drugs, often inside the runners’ vehicles.

The charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshal Service, the New Hampshire State Police, the Nashua Police Department, the Boston Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, Probation & Parole. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarad Hodes, OCDETF Coordinator, are prosecuting the case.