Brian Martinez Rivera, a 29-year-old resident of Torrington, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and four years of supervised release for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport.
According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, 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 parcels containing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to various addresses in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The organization used individuals referred to as “runners” to collect these parcels from designated drop addresses and deliver them to residences in Bloomfield and New Britain, Connecticut.
Ramon Soto, acting under Joseph Soto’s direction, typically delivered the cocaine from these locations to individuals in the Bronx, New York, receiving payment for these deliveries.
During their investigation, law enforcement intercepted 10 suspicious parcels—each containing about two kilograms of cocaine—and identified approximately 280 other parcels suspected of carrying similar amounts that had already been delivered.
Joseph Giovanni Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. After his arrest, investigators observed a resurgence of suspicious packages arriving from Puerto Rico into Connecticut during August 2023. These packages were traced to an address associated with Jatniel Morales Gonzalez in Waterbury. Investigators determined that Morales Gonzalez had previously worked with Soto and took over operations following Soto’s arrest.
Authorities identified new drop addresses for these packages and observed Morales Gonzalez, Martinez Rivera, and others retrieving them before they were transported to Morales Gonzalez’s residence and ultimately delivered to the Bronx. During this phase of the investigation, more than 90 additional suspicious parcels were identified; 11 were sent directly to Martinez Rivera’s home in Torrington. Searches authorized by court orders found that each seized parcel contained about two kilograms of cocaine.
Martinez Rivera was arrested on December 19, 2024. He pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. His bond was revoked on October 2, 2025; he has remained detained since then.
Other members involved—Joseph Giovanni Soto, Ramon Soto, and Morales Gonzales—also pleaded guilty and received prison sentences ranging from ten to fourteen years.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman.
