Los Angeles Man Arrested by DEA for Allegedly Providing a Fentanyl-Laced Pill to a Minor Who Suffered Fatal Overdose
LOS ANGELES— A Los Angeles man was arrested late Monday night on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he provided fentanyl-laced pills to a 15-year-old who died on July 8, 2021 after taking the pills.
Johnny Castillo, 18, is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon. Castillo was named in a federal indictment filed December 10 that charges him with:
--one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death;
--two counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl; and
--one count of possessing a firearm bearing no serial number(commonly referred to as a “ghost gun”) in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
A criminal indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
If convicted of the drug distribution offense alleged in the indictment, Castillo would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence to life imprisonment.
The federal matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division and the Glendale Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Fillmore.
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Los Angeles Field Division is the 2nd largest division in DEA and responsible for the seven largest counties in Southern California—Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, as well as the states of Nevada (Las Vegas/Reno), and Hawaii (Oahu/Maui), and the U. S. Territories of Guam and Saipan.
