Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Brian Castillo, age 33, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on June 12, 2025, to 151 months’ imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on August 20, 2021, and September 10, 2021, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents made two controlled buys of methamphetamine from Castillo in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Castillo sold 42 grams during the first sale and 55 grams of the drug on the second sale for $1,000 on each occasion. Before he was arrested, Castillo fled the country when he learned he was under investigation. He was later arrested on July 8, 2024, when attempting to re-enter the country. On February 21, 2025, Castillo entered a plea of guilty to one of the charges in the indictment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police. Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
# # #