|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A federal grand jury has indicted Andy Soto, 32, of Jersey City, New Jersey, on multiple drug and weapons charges following his arrest in North Troy on July 24.
Soto was charged with four counts, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Soto pleaded not guilty to all charges during his September 3 arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.
Two other drug-related cases are moving through the state courts. Brownswell Cedano, 29, currently in federal custody in Pennsylvania, pleaded innocent to the second-degree murder of Richard Poginy in November 2019, according to a news report in the August 28 Chronicle, an Orleans County weekly newspaper. Cedano was convicted in federal court for drug trafficking. Also, Jaky Tramaine Corey Keither, 25, of Hartford CT pleaded innocent to first-degree murder in connection with the killing of Kayla Wright earlier this year, the Chronicle reported.
Search warrant led to Soto bust – According to court records, authorities executed a search warrant at a North Troy residence where Soto had been staying. They reportedly found over 600 grams of suspected cocaine powder, over 300 grams of suspected cocaine base, over 700 grams of suspected fentanyl, over 80 grams of suspected xylazine, approximately $46,000 in currency, and five loaded firearms.
The majority of the narcotics, currency, and a loaded .40-caliber firearm were located in a safe bolted to the floor of Soto’s room.
Soto had been the subject of a long-standing drug investigation, with authorities conducting multiple controlled purchases involving him between July and December 2023.
If convicted, Soto faces a minimum of ten years and up to life imprisonment. He is currently being held in detention pending trial.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, Northeast Vermont Drug Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations in this case, which is part of ongoing efforts to address drug and gun trafficking in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. – editor
Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: Crime
Here in the NEK, a heavily inked, NJ, minority sticks out as a drug dealer about as obvious as F&W’s, Bucky the robotic deer. Shooting one of them is bad form.
Someone always manages to get caught for shooting at Bucky, and the NJ drug dealers just keep coming up…
Thought we were going to put these peeps on the fast track for Vermont residency/citizenship . Take the stigma of being an out of state POS off the table.
Perhaps they belong to a group and not a gang to add a a touch of civilization.
See how easy it is to humanize them and place them on the path of richeousness?
Now if only we can fund them to the level of expectation they deserve.
Oh, I guess we already did that.
Let’s hope the feds has some permanent housing lined up for this fine addition to our population.
The real enemy is legislating in Montpelier.
Is the Northeast Kingdom now the designated staging area for drug and human trafficking? The proximity to the border, Interstate 91 & 93, sparsely populated, sparse law enforcement, the grifter liberal flatlanders taking over some towns? The customer base there doesn’t seem to match the amounts – could be the distribution network spreads into the Great Northern Woods of New Hamphire, Littleton, and into/out of Canada. Recall a number of border jumpers were being transported to New Jersey. Appears the cartel has set up shop in NEK. The Kingdom Con was just a test run to see how much illegal, fraudulent, RICO activity would be allowed with impunity. All systems go – now the most deadly criminals have a foothold with the State’s blessings and protection.
One would think that in the NEK, individuals like that would end up in the bush as raven chow.
Coyotes will strip a moose carcass clean and scatter the bones in less than a week. No need to sink “individuals” in Willoughby.
There used to be a time that would be the norm instead of the exception. Unwelcome and uncivilized types would end up ditch fill or run out of town in short order. The old ways and old days – when Vermont men were encouraged and supported to be the protecters and defenders of their homes and communities…they got things done, effectively and efficiently – sometimes without spilling a drop.