Report to Waterville Police of ‘Large-Scale Drug Trafficker’ Leads to 17 ½-Year Sentence for Local Man

BANGOR, Maine:  A Waterville-area man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Victor Soto Sanchez, 39, to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Soto Sanchez had been found guilty on October 18, 2023, following a two-day federal jury trial.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, in late November 2021, the Waterville Police Department received information about a large-scale drug trafficker selling cocaine and fentanyl out of his apartment. The resulting three-week drug investigation culminated in the execution of a search warrant at Soto Sanchez’s residence where law enforcement found approximately five pounds of fentanyl in pill and powder form, almost five pounds of cocaine, over $5,000 in cash, and several firearms. The value of the narcotics seized was over $400,000.

The Waterville Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maine State Police; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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