United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing of Alex Wellman Castro Frias, a 51-year-old Dominican citizen residing in Philadelphia. Castro Frias received an 80-month prison sentence from United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond, followed by three years of supervised release. His involvement as a "bagger" in a Philadelphia-based drug trafficking operation led to his conviction.
In August 2023, Castro Frias faced charges through a superseding indictment for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He pleaded guilty to both counts in April last year.
Court documents revealed that Castro Frias was part of the Ortiz drug trafficking organization (DTO), which packaged thousands of fentanyl and xylazine-laced baggies for distribution in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. During an FBI search of a DTO-associated house, over six kilograms of fentanyl were discovered on the bagging table.
"As a member of this DTO, Castro Frias played an active role in funneling fentanyl cut with xylazine onto the streets of Philadelphia and beyond," stated U.S. Attorney Metcalf. He added that this combination is highly addictive and causes severe physical harm to users, including amputations and deaths. Metcalf emphasized the commitment to prosecuting those fueling the city's drug epidemic.
Following his sentence, Castro Frias will be deported due to his illegal status in the country.
The case was investigated by the FBI under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.
