U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker | U.S. Department of Justice
John Castillo, a former Columbus police officer, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for his involvement in drug-related crimes. Castillo, aged 32 and from Grove City, was found guilty of possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Court documents reveal that Castillo was previously assigned to investigate drug crimes within the Columbus Police Department. In February 2021, he conspired with another officer to steal and sell approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine. The officers took the drugs from a house on North Everett Avenue without reporting them as evidence. They also planted two additional kilograms at the same location for law enforcement discovery later that day. The stolen cocaine was stored in the other officer’s basement before being handed over to an individual for sale.
Castillo's arrest occurred in February 2024, and he entered a guilty plea in June of the same year.
The sentencing was announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Cincinnati Division. U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. imposed the sentence.
Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are handling the case on behalf of the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes members from various agencies such as the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, and Columbus Division of Police.
