Walpole Police Seeking Involuntary Manslaughter Charges for Two Heroin Overdose Deaths

Walpole Police are hoping prosecutors will charge an alleged drug dealer with involuntary manslaughter following the heroin overdose deaths of two Walpole residents in 2011.

Police arrested Darwin Soto, 31, of Hyde Park earlier this month after an over two-year long investigation in which they say Soto facilitated the sale of over 1,000 grams of heroin.

“We know for a fact that Darwin Soto was distributing heroin to Walpole. He was a major supplier to several area customers,” Walpole Deputy Police Chief John Carmichael said.

WPD worked with the Norfolk County Police Anti-Crime Task Force (NORPAC) and the Drug Enforcement Agency to build a case against Soto using wiretaps, undercover officers and criminal informants.

“We started monitoring what his movement is. Very difficult to track guys like him. He doesn’t stay in the same place. He moves around. And his runners are basically the ones that transport the stuff back and forth,” Carmichael said.

“We were able to infiltrate him and we purchased through the DEA nearly 100 grams of heroin since last April,” he said.

Through the surveillance, Carmichael said, they have evidence to link Soto as the facilitator of the sale over 1,000 grams of heroin since April 2012.

He was arrested in Malden, March 1 along with Jose Molina, of Jamaica Plain.

Both were federally charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act. Soto received an additional charge of distribution of heroin over 1,000 grams.

Soto did not have heroin in his possession at the time of the arrest.

However, authorities allege that two of the drug sales linked to Soto can be directly tied to the 2011 overdose deaths of two males from Walpole, ages 29 and 50, respectively. Carmichael would not say how he was linked to the deaths because there are additional charges pending.

Carmichael said that Assistant US Attorney Leah Foley would be seeking to charge Soto with involuntary manslaughter as court hearings proceed.

With the drug charges Soto faces a 10-year minimum mandatory in federal prison.

Soto has been arraigned and is being held without bail following a dangerousness hearing.

Carmichael said he is pleased with the results of the investigation so far, but said that drugs are a perpetual problem that will always need to be addressed.

“The detectives that worked on it did a great job, an unbelievable job," he said. "The department in the past few years and with the [Walpole Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Awareness] we’ve been very committed to trying to deal with this drug issue.”