A New Britain man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Luis Torres Ortiz, 25, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport and will also serve four years of supervised release.
According to information presented in court, the investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force. Authorities identified Joseph Giovanni Soto as the leader of an operation that shipped kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to addresses in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The organization used individuals referred to as “runners” to collect these parcels from various drop addresses and deliver them to locations associated with Soto.
The investigation resulted in the interception and seizure of 10 parcels, each containing about two kilograms of cocaine. Officials also identified around 280 additional suspicious parcels believed to have contained similar amounts of cocaine delivered to different addresses.
Joseph Giovanni Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. Following his arrest, authorities observed a renewed pattern of suspicious parcels arriving from Puerto Rico, now being directed to Jatniel Morales Gonzalez’s residence in Waterbury. Investigators determined that Morales Gonzalez had previously worked with Soto and took over the Connecticut side of the operation after Soto’s arrest.
Investigators found several new drop addresses linked to this activity and observed Morales Gonzalez, Torres Ortiz, and others retrieving packages before delivering them elsewhere, including the Bronx, New York. During this phase, more than 90 additional suspicious parcels were identified; 24 were sent directly to Torres Ortiz’s residence in New Britain. Four seized parcels were searched under court authorization and each contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
Torres Ortiz was arrested on December 19, 2024. He pleaded guilty on September 19, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine.
He is currently out on a $50,000 bond and must report to prison on April 21.
Other members involved—Joseph Giovanni Soto, Ramon Soto, and Morales Gonzales—have also pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from ten to fourteen years in prison.
“This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Plainville Police Department,” according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman.