MANCHESTER, N.H. (WWLP) – Manchester law enforcement officials charged a total of 22 defendants from across New England in connection with a suspected drug trafficking ring in New Hampshire.

For the last 4 years, 53-year-old Juan Ramon Soto Baez has been selling fentanyl and crack cocaine to the Manchester area through an organized drug trafficking ring. Baez and his associates used a sophisticated business model, using a dispatch phone number to order the drugs and runners would drive the products to customers at a predetermined location.

According to the Department of Justice in New Hampshire on Tuesday, officers arrested suspects connected to the investigation for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. 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, and four firearms were seized.

The following individuals were charged:

  1. Juan Ramon Soto Baez (aka Ricky, Nicolas Lopez Rosado), 53, of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
  2. Osvaldo David Soto Jimenez (aka Tony), 29, of Dorchester, Massachusetts
  3. Melissa Rey Ramos (aka Ralphie), 34, of Peabody, Massachusetts
  4. Angel Leonel Fuentes Pizarro, 42, of Boston, Massachusetts
  5. Dari Rafael Baez Martinez (aka Chino), 32, of Boston, Massachusetts
  6. Leander Jose Rivera Soto, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts
  7. Gabriel Hernandez, 30, of Boston, Massachusetts
  8. Jose Cordero Ortiz, 37, of Boston, Massachusetts
  9. Jhonattan Jimenez, 36, of Boston, Massachusetts
  10. Brandon Rivera, 21, of Boston, Massachusetts
  11. Hidequell Gonzalez Viscaino, 22, of Waterbury, Connecticut
  12. Flemin Soto Baez (aka Carlos, Joel Rodriguez), 38, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  13. Maria Camacho (aka Christina), 43, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  14. Luis Maldonado (aka Tony), 48, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  15. Katie Girgus, 29, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  16. Nickolas Starkey, 34, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  17. Daniel Beldin, 33, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  18. Victor Arias Mejia, 38, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  19. Alesha Neault, 37, of Manchester, New Hampshire
  20. Yefris Cruz Andujar, 23, of Providence, Rhode Island
  21. Antonio Aguasvivas (aka Toni), 27, of Providence, Rhode Island
  22. Alejandro Reyes Rosado, 29, of UNKNOWN

The suspected leader of the drug trafficking ring, Juan Ramon Soto Baez, is scheduled to be arraigned in Concord on Thursday. The additional defendants are scheduled for federal court at varying times this week. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.