Burbank man linked to online drugs ring sentenced to federal prison
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A Burbank man who participated in a drug ring that used hidden internet marketplaces to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine to buyers across the country was sentenced today to nearly four years in federal prison.
Alejandro Soto, 22, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to a charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Along with 46 months' imprisonment, Soto was ordered to pay a fine of $8,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Soto admitted helping to package and ship fentanyl and cocaine orders, collecting bulk drug proceeds, and advising on which dark web marketplace would be best for sales of fentanyl-laced pills.
"Operating in an environment where a single pill can kill,'' Soto and his co-defendants distributed at least 80 pounds of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl -- and a significant amount of cocaine -- over the course of the years-long conspiracy, according to the government's sentencing position.
The leader of the operation, Brian McDonald, 25, of Van Nuys, was sentenced in October 2024 to more than 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in L.A. federal court to conspiracy and gun possession.
Co-defendant Austin Blacano, 23, also of Burbank, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl. He was sentenced in November to two years and three months behind bars.
In his plea agreement, Blacano admitted packaging drugs sold on darknet marketplaces, and then assisting with the shipment of drug-filled parcels to customers. For months, he said, he filled orders for fentanyl-laced pills, with each parcel containing dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of the tablets.
In August 2021, Blacano and others packaged an order of 50 fentanyl- laced pills and arranged for the pills to be shipped to an individual they believed was a drug customer, but who in fact was an undercover agent working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the plea agreement states.
Three other defendants also pleaded guilty to federal charges and have each been sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths.
