A Wake County man has been sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison following drug and firearm convictions. Daniel Oswaldo Santos-Soto, a 25-year-old reported illegal immigrant, received a 130-month sentence for his involvement in methamphetamine distribution and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This announcement was confirmed in a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Details from the court indicate, that on August 27, 2023, Santos-Soto was apprehended after a controlled drug buy orchestrated by the Nash County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), which had deployed a confidential source to set up the purchase. Santos-Soto, had made arrangements to deliver roughly 10 ounces of methamphetamine at a gas station in Spring Hope the following day. During the sting, NCSO detained Santos-Soto after a K-9 signaled the presence of narcotics in his vehicle, leading to the discovery of over 83 grams of methamphetamine and an SKS rifle.
In the statement released today, authorities revealed that Santos-Soto is a non-citizen from Mexico who arrived in the United States in 2017 and had been residing in Wake County without prior criminal incidents until his 2023 arrest…