ST. GEORGE, UTAH — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Nicaraguan citizen, living in the United States illegally, was indicted by a federal grand jury for drug crimes after he allegedly trafficked approximately 104,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills that tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 23 pounds total.

Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes, 33, an undocumented Nicaraguan citizen living in Denver, Colorado, was charged on October 14, 2025. According to court documents, on this date, a San Juan County Deputy Sheriff stopped Castillo-Reyes for a traffic violation. A K9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics and the vehicle was searched. Law enforcement found 104,000 blue M30 pills that weighed 23 pounds and field-tested positive for fentanyl. Castillo-Reyes, the sole occupant in the vehicle, was taken into custody.

Castillo-Reyes is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment was October 30, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for January 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 2B 206 in St. George.

Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Hood of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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*This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.