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ROCHESTER, NH – A previously deported Dominican national is staring down a lengthy federal sentence after admitting to running methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl through the Granite State. Joel Castillo-Soto, 35, copped a plea today on charges of drug conspiracy and illegal re-entry into the United States.
The bust went down January 24th in Seabrook. DEA agents were already investigating a local drug operation when an informant and an undercover officer began negotiating a multi-ounce methamphetamine deal with a man using a stolen identity – Ariel Castillo-Solano. The operation quickly ballooned. Between October 2024 and January 2025, Castillo-Solano brokered sales of over five pounds of meth to the DEA. He then upped the ante, arranging a $69,000 deal for another 15 pounds of meth, 21 ounces of cocaine, and 40 grams of fentanyl.
During the planned exchange in a Seabrook parking lot, Castillo-Solano told the undercover officer his “brother” would be making the delivery. That brother turned out to be Castillo-Soto, who arrived in an Uber with the full load of drugs. Both men were immediately arrested. Castillo-Solano previously pleaded guilty to a meth conspiracy back in 2016.
Castillo-Soto’s sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2026, giving him plenty of time to consider his choices. U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan’s office is prosecuting the case.