Meth & Deported: NH Dealer Faces Fed Time

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ROCHESTER, NH – A deported Dominican national is staring down a lengthy federal sentence after admitting he flooded the Rochester area with multiple pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. Joel Castillo-Soto, 35, pleaded guilty this week to both drug conspiracy and illegally re-entering the United States after being previously removed.

The DEA started tracking a source dealing in ounce-level quantities of meth in early 2024. The investigation quickly ballooned, revealing a larger operation led by Ariel Castillo-Solano, who was posing as a U.S. citizen. Between October 2024 and January 2025, an undercover DEA officer and a confidential informant negotiated the purchase of over five pounds of meth from Castillo-Solano.

The deal expanded rapidly. Castillo-Solano then agreed to move an additional 15 pounds of meth, 21 ounces of cocaine, and 40 grams of fentanyl – a $69,000 haul. The final exchange went down January 24th in Seabrook. Castillo-Solano claimed his “brother” would handle the delivery. That brother turned out to be Joel Castillo-Soto, arriving via Uber with the drugs in tow. Both men were arrested on the spot.

Castillo-Solano, already a convicted meth conspirator from 2016, has also pleaded guilty. Castillo-Soto is scheduled to be sentenced June 25, 2026, and faces a substantial prison term.