Ellenton man pleads guilty to federal drug dealing charges, prosecutors say
An Ellenton man faces decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, prosecutors said.
Alexis Soto Escalante, 20, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of cocaine, according to United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida prosecutors.
Under federal law, Soto Escalante faces up to 40 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 5 years.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used a confidential source to set up a fentanyl deal with co-defendant Traveous Anderson in May 2024, according to an arrest report. After arresting Anderson, who went by the street name “Chop,” investigators say they learned he had been buying fentanyl from Soto Escalante, who went by the nickname “Lil One,” for months.
Federal agents say they directed Anderson to call Soto Escalante and arrange a meeting to repay him and ask for more fentanyl. When Soto Escalante showed up, they arrested him and searched his vehicle, finding 641 grams of cocaine and 3.7 grams of fentanyl, according to an arrest report.
Federal prosecutors say Soto Escalante had supplied nearly 56 grams of fentanyl to Anderson earlier that day.
After arresting both men, investigators searched Anderson’s apartment in Palmetto and found more drugs, including 28.5 grams of suspected cocaine, 5.6 grams of suspected fentanyl, 73.7 grams of suspected molly and 3.1 grams of crack cocaine, according to the arrest report.
Federal agents later executed a search warrant at Soto Escalante’s home in Ellenton. In a bedroom identified as his, investigators say they found 15 grams of cocaine in a shirt pocket, a Ruger handgun with a loaded magazine, boxes of ammunition, a digital scale and an undisclosed amount of cash.
According to a news release, the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with assistance from the Bradenton Police Department and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Anderson’s case remains pending trial, according to court records.
