41-Month Sentence for Possession of Fentanyl Pills

Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes, a Nicaraguan national residing illegally in Fresno, California, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The sentencing was handed down by U. S.

District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen in St. George, Utah, following Castillo-Reyes's guilty plea on July 20, 2026.

The charges stem from an incident on August 14, 2025, when Castillo-Reyes was stopped by a San Juan County Deputy Sheriff for a traffic violation. During the stop, a K9 unit conducted a sniff search and alerted officers to the presence of illegal narcotics. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 104,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills, weighing around 23 pounds, hidden inside a toolbox in the rear cargo area.

Castillo-Reyes admitted to transporting the fentanyl pills in exchange for payment, according to court documents and statements made during his plea and sentencing hearings. In addition to his prison term, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Castillo-Reyes will be remanded to U.

S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Utah Department of Public Safety State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Hood prosecuted the case.

U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah highlighted the collaborative efforts of state, federal, and tribal partners in preventing the distribution of the fentanyl pills. "We are grateful to DEA, SBI, BIA, ICE, and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for working together with our office to ensure that the 104,000 seized fentanyl pills never reached our communities," she said.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.